Communications Director for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has denied ever supporting calls by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for a state of emergency to be declared in communities affected by illegal mining under the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
According to him, he strongly opposed such calls and instead advocated for a “state of emergency” on the removal of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his appointees, whom he accused of overseeing the illegal mining menace to the detriment of the Ghanaian people.
Speaking on Accra-based Asempa FM, Sammy Gyamfi clarified that while some individuals within the NDC supported the idea, the party as a corporate entity never endorsed it or issued any official statement in support.
“Go and check. I spoke about this even on Good Morning Ghana. I said I disagreed with those calling for a state of emergency. The real issue was not to declare a state of emergency in mining areas, but rather to declare one on Akufo-Addo and his gang—to vote them out, because they were the ones supervising the illegal mining activities,” he stated.
“At the time, you saw appointees, regional ministers, and mayors directly involved in the galamsey issue. And you say ordinary Ghanaians who had invested in mining should be penalized? The NDC as a party never supported those calls. Some individuals within the party may have done so, but show me one official NDC statement that supported it,” he emphasized.
He added, “It was in 2017/2018, when the NPP government banned mining, that Ghana exported more gold than ever before—a feat that hasn’t been matched since. The ban was a façade. That’s why I didn’t support the state of emergency calls; they would have simply used it as an excuse to seize people’s concessions.”