The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, has criticised former President John Dramani Mahama over his comments on illegal mining otherwise known as galamsey during a media engagement on Wednesday, September 11, 2025.

Reacting to the media interaction in a Facebook post, Kodua said the former president “woefully failed” in the fight against galamsey while in office and therefore lacked the moral authority to shift responsibility onto security agencies.

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“President Mahama cannot fight galamsey because his party members are deeply involved in it. He must be bold enough to apologise to Ghanaians and discipline those within his ranks who are blatantly and recklessly destroying our water bodies and farmlands, instead of shifting blame onto security agencies,”Kodua stated.

The NPP General Secretary recalled that John Mahama, during the 2024 campaign, accused President Akufo-Addo’s administration and some of its appointees of engaging in galamsey and promised that, should he return to power, he would clamp down on the so-called kingpins.

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“What has happened to that promise?” Kodua asked, arguing that President Mahama had offered “no clear plan” to deal with the menace beyond rhetoric.

He added that “empty rhetoric cannot salvage the situation,” urging Mahama to provide credible strategies to address illegal mining rather than “rehashing excuses.”

According to Justin Kodua, the destruction of rivers, farmlands and forest reserves intensified during Mahama’s administration, making it imperative for him to outline concrete policy proposals if he intends to convince Ghanaians of his commitment to tackling the issue.

Illegal small-scale mining continues to pose one of Ghana’s most significant environmental challenges, with successive governments struggling to balance livelihoods, enforcement, and environmental sustainability.

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