Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi has criticized the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as a dramatic shift in their stance on the government’s “Gold for Oil” programme and small-scale mining policies.
In a sharp rebuke, the Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom, highlighted that the very people who vehemently opposed the Gold for Oil initiative at its inception are now championing its benefits.
“The infamous Gold for Oil programme now has seen some benefits. And the same people who were not for it are now ambassadors of gold,” he said in an interview on GHOne TV monistred by MyNewsGh.
Dr. Kissi’s comments come in light of recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, which he believes is partially due to gold-backed policy decisions made by the government.
He accused the NDC of flip-flopping on mining policies based on political convenience rather than principle.
“I cry because of the change in the narrative. I remember the NDC saying that we should halt all mining in this country, and we made a case that it would impact our cedi. That time, they didn’t understand.
“But now that they’re in government, suddenly it has become all correct—that gold is standard and gold matters.”
While acknowledging the economic value of gold, Dr. Kissi sounded the alarm over the growing disregard for environmental and public health consequences, especially from illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as “galamsey.”
“Galamsey must go on whether our water bodies are being damaged or not because the cedi strengthens? But they also forget that it is health first. The wealth of a nation depends on its health. If we don’t have a healthy next generation, we will be in trouble in terms of our productivity.”
He concluded his remarks with a call for measured optimism and a deeper national conversation around sustainability and long-term wellbeing.
“Let’s pray and hope that the dollar’s strength does not paint a false picture that distracts us from deeper issues.”
