Ghana has battled with illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, for years. The practice continues to pose a significant threat to the environment, water bodies and public health.

Despite efforts by successive governments to combat the menace, it is widespread.

Samuel Nartey George, who now serves as Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, and Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, was among the most outspoken opposition figures on the galamsey debate during the previous administration, and he repeatedly criticised the then government over its handling of the menace.

Unfair to expect Mahama to end galamsey in 96 days – Sam George

This GhanaWeb article chronicles some of the notable comments made by Sam George while in opposition and compares them with his recent position on the same issue.

Comments during opposition

As an NDC Member of Parliament during the previous administration, he repeatedly took aim at the government's handling of galamsey, demanding tougher action against those destroying Ghana's forests and water bodies.

He was not just a peripheral voice in the debate; he was among the opposition MPs who consistently used traditional media and social platforms, as well as parliamentary discussions, to challenge the NPP government's record on galamsey.

He did not mince words when it came to criticising the government's approach within its eight years of rule. His language was often strong and particularly forceful.

In April 2021, for instance, Sam George accused then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of paying lip service to the fight against galamsey and called on him to deliver “real action” rather than “soundbites”.

He went further, alleging that some government appointees and some persons linked to the NPP were involved in illegal mining and challenged President Akufo-Addo to deal with members of his own party if he was serious about ending the menace.

Akufo-Addo isn’t interested in fighting galamsey’ – Sam George

"Mr President, it is your party national executives and regional executives, your party people, your presidential staffers, your former ministers who are engaged in the galamsey menace. They are the people carrying out small-scale mining and destroying our water bodies. So Mr President, put your money where your mouth is. If you want to fight galamsey, deal with your own appointees. Stop giving us soundbites and give us real action," he stated.

He also questioned why the government had not restricted the importation of excavators, arguing that the equipment used in illegal mining had to enter the country through the ports.

“The truth is that Mr President, it is your party people who are doing the galamsey. Nobody in the NDC is engaged in it because we don’t control the security agencies that are protecting these illegal miners. We don’t manufacture excavators in this country; they all come through the port. So, who is giving permits for those excavators to be imported? If the government is really committed to fighting the menace, can’t the government place a ban on the importation of all excavators?” he quizzed.

Sam George subsequently described the government's galamsey fight as a failure and questioned President Akufo-Addo's earlier declaration that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in the fight against illegal mining.

"I get very passionate when I talk about galamsey issues, because I feel the president has failed. And this is not politics. This is about leadership. Leadership must act. When it goes well, leadership gets the credit. When it doesn't go well, we must hold leadership accountable," Sam George said.

Sam George also referred to Nana Akufo-Addo's galamsey fight as a "soundbite fight". "[The president said], I put my presidency on the line. Did he put his presidency on the line? No."

By November 2023, his criticism remained strong.

He said galamsey activities had escalated since the NPP government took office in 2017 and blamed the administration for the deterioration of Ghana's water bodies.

He alleged that illegal mining was being used to generate funds for the NPP, while arguing that rivers such as the Pra and Densu had deteriorated significantly under the government's watch.

The outspoken MP alleged that the galamsey activities were to generate funds for the operations of the NPP.

“They said party needed money, so they destroyed all our water bodies with galamsey. Although galamsey existed before NPP came into power, it was not like this. Before this government came into office, we all saw the River Pra and the River Densu.

"We saw those rivers, we knew what those rivers were like, they were not like 'This Way Chocolate' drink," he noted.

The issue also remained prominent in the political debate in 2024, when growing public concern over the environmental impact of illegal mining triggered protests and renewed pressure on the Akufo-Addo administration.

But the political circumstances changed after the 2024 elections.

Comments while in government

The NDC returned to power after the 2024 general election, John Dramani Mahama became President in January 2025, and Sam George moved from the opposition benches into government as Communications Minister.

While he continues to acknowledge that illegal mining is a serious national problem, he has argued against judging the Mahama administration by the same timeline he used when criticising the Akufo-Addo government.

In 2025, he argued that it was unfair to expect President Mahama to end galamsey within 96 days of taking office.

His explanation was that when he criticised Akufo-Addo, the former president was already approaching the end of an almost eight-year tenure.

“When I made those comments about President Akufo-Addo, I didn't make those comments at the beginning of his term. I made those comments about three months to the end of his term,” Sam George said.

He pointed to interventions including Operation Vanguard and argued that Akufo-Addo had had enough time in office to understand the problem and take decisive action.

“Can we do more? Absolutely. Do I expect to see more? Certainly,” he said of the Mahama administration's efforts.

“But again, like I said, it will be unfair to expect that in 90 days, one man will clean the mess of another for eight years.”

His position is that the standard he applied to Akufo-Addo was informed by the fact that the former president had already spent almost eight years in power when he made his harshest criticism.

On the Mahama administration's efforts, however, he acknowledged that more needed to be done.

The comparison has nevertheless brought his earlier comments back into focus because the underlying issue remains the same: Ghana's struggle to contain illegal mining and its effects on the country's water bodies, forests and communities.

And Sam George has not suggested that the problem has disappeared under the current administration.
His more recent comments continue to acknowledge the scale of the challenge, while his defence of the Mahama government's record has focused on the length of time it has had to address a problem he argues was allowed to deepen over the previous eight years.

The contrast is therefore less about whether he considers galamsey a problem — his statements show that he does — and more about how quickly he believes a government should be held accountable for solving it.

As an opposition MP, he demanded immediate action and described the Akufo-Addo government's approach as a failure and a “soundbite fight”.

As a member of the Mahama administration, he has acknowledged that more needs to be done but has argued that the government should not be expected to clean up an entrenched problem within its first few months.

He also indicated that while some progress has been made, the fight is far from over.

“Am I excited about where our country is with galamsey?

“Hell no, absolutely not. I think that a lot more has to be done,” he said on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, noting the scale of the challenge facing government and stakeholders.

The outspoken lawmaker has said that there has been a noticeable shift in recent months, pointing to the leadership of Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and has called for decisive action to end the menace.

The question, therefore, is not whether he still considers galamsey a problem, but whether the timeline he now says should be allowed for tackling it is consistent with the urgency he demanded from the previous government while he was in opposition.

JKB/BAI

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