To Sam Pyne, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), President Nana Akufo-Addo has demonstrated a high level of commitment in fighting the galamsey menace which has caused more harm than good to Ghana.
Mr Pyne’s comment follows a statement by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that President Akufo-Addo has “betrayed” government’s fight against illegal mining after freeing a Chinese kingpin, Aisha Huang.
Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam show Wednesday, Mr Pyne explained that there have been several mechanisms put in place by the government which are clear indications that President Akufo-Addo is on top of the game.
“The hypocrisy of NDC on galamsey is so amazing, but nobody has fought galamsey better than Akufo-Addo. We now have about 100 NaBCo recruits being trained in using technology to trace illegal miners with about 3,000 people trained in mining the right way in Ghana,” he stated.
The NDC at a press conference on Tuesday stated that the government’s purported failure in the fight against illegal mining is due to the President’s inaction on appointees reportedly fueling activities of galamsey.
National Communications Officer of the party, Mr Sammy Gyamfi said the President had demonstrated that “the interest of the people of Ghana matters little when it comes to instant gratification.”
This was after the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo stated that the deportation of galamsey queen Ms Huang from Ghana was due to the diplomatic relationship between Ghana and China.
“Today, the main company that is helping develop the infrastructure system in Ghana is Sinohydro, it is a Chinese company. It is the one that is going to help process our bauxite and provide about $2 billion for us.
“So, when there are these kinds of arrangements, there are other things behind the scenes. Putting that lady [Aisha] in jail in Ghana is not going to solve your economic problems,” he stated in a Town Hall meeting in the United States.
