There was no fight against galamsey under Akufo-Addo gov’t – Sammy Gyamfi

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has accused the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration of failing to tackle illegal mining, arguing that its actions were instead directed at people who spoke out against the menace.

He claimed that under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, individuals who actively campaigned against illegal mining were arrested and imprisoned rather than receiving government support.

He made the remarks in an interview on Accra-based UTV, where he criticised the NPP government’s record on illegal mining and highlighted what he described as the Mahama administration’s commitment to addressing the problem.

“In 2024, there was no fight against illegal mining in Ghana under President Akufo-Addo. The fight was rather against those fighting illegal mining. Some were arrested and put into prison cells,” he said.

Mr Gyamfi contrasted the former administration’s approach with that of President John Dramani Mahama, insisting that the current government had shown greater determination to combat galamsey and safeguard the country’s natural resources.