By: Nana Antwi Boasiako
A member of the Movement for Change, Solomon Owusu has expressed his profound disappointment and frustration with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for retaining Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, despite his perceived failure to effectively combat the scourge of illegal mining (galamsey).
In an interview with an Accra-based radio station monitored by Happyghana.com on Tuesday August 27, Owusu vehemently criticized Jinapor’s claims of doing his best to stop galamsey, labeling it a blatant deception aimed at misleading Ghanaians. He pointed out that the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana had notably commented on the fact that Chinese nationals are not aware of galamsey hotspots like Obuasi and Asankragua, implying that they must be brought there by local leaders, which raises questions about the complicity of Ghanaian authorities.
Owusu further accused leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) of being deeply complicit in galamsey activities, contradicting their manifesto promises to fight the menace. He argued that their actions and inactions have contributed to galamsey, which has devastating environmental and socio-economic consequences.
He also questioned the use of funds to combat galamsey, citing President Akufo-Addo’s claim of spending $400 million with no tangible results and the NDC’S pledge to spend $500 million to fight galamsey, which he sees as a ploy to embezzle funds and enrich themselves rather than genuinely addressing the issue.