Renowned finance expert Joe Jackson has suggested that the current government may be under the silent influence of powerful figures in the fight against illegal mining.

He alleged that the lack of urgency in addressing illegal mining, or galamsey, could be due to the hidden control of faceless and influential kingpins.

Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, September 13, 2025, Jackson expressed concern that those behind illegal mining operations appear to be quietly infiltrating the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“The challenge is that the sense of urgency doesn’t seem to come out. What some of us feel is that the kingpins behind galamsey are quietly and insidiously infiltrating the leadership of the NDC and are subverting the vim with which they spoke when they were in opposition. And that is what is scary,” he said.

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According to Jackson, this perception is particularly troubling and may explain why the government has failed to demonstrate the urgency required to tackle the galamsey crisis.

His comments come amid growing calls from civil society groups for the government to declare a state of emergency to confront the widespread environmental devastation caused by galamsey.

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While some argue that such a declaration would give the government broader legal powers to act decisively, President John Dramani Mahama, during a recent media encounter, maintained that existing laws have not yet been fully exhausted in the fight against the menace.

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