The National Coordinator for the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (COMSDEP), Engineer Frank Pedro Asare, has cautioned that the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) cannot succeed without the backing of members of the ruling party.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Burning Issues on Monday night, Engineer Asare noted that public scepticism, stemming from the previous administration’s failed anti-galamsey initiatives, is undermining current efforts.
He argued that the involvement of party supporters in past illegal mining activities made enforcement difficult and eroded confidence in anti-galamsey programmes.
“Let me say this in plain language: no government can fight galamsey without the support of its party people,” he said.
Engineer Asare added that party members at branch, constituency, regional, and national levels are aware of illegal mining hotspots, and some believe party loyalists involved in galamsey under the previous government were effectively protected.
He urged supporters of the current administration not to repeat those patterns, warning that the electorate had punished the former government for similar failures.
The COMSDEP Coordinator also called on government appointees, particularly Municipal, Metropolitan, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), not to enable illegal mining through their positions.
“The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources will not accept that and will go after any appointee who tries to use his position as an enabler of galamsey,” he stated.
Engineer Asare further warned that MMDCEs who ignore known galamsey sites in their jurisdictions risk facing consequences if they fail to support enforcement efforts.
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