The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on all political actors to set aside partisan interests and work together in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, he was responding to the recent violent attack on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) task force in the Ahafo Region.
“Let us, for once, agree on core national issues, stay away from partisan approaches, and deal with the galamsey menace. The fight against illegal mining requires collective action — it is not an NDC or NPP affair. Let us make it a Ghana affair,” he said.
The remarks came shortly after Speaker Alban Bagbin issued a formal communiqué on the incident, highlighting growing national concern over the environmental and social damage caused by illegal mining operations.
Afenyo-Markin lamented that political expediency and electoral gains have consistently undermined efforts to curb galamsey, stressing that leaders across the political spectrum must now prioritise national interest over party loyalty.
“We have failed as active stakeholders and political leaders in this galamsey fight, and it’s getting worse,” he stated, noting that politicisation has weakened enforcement and emboldened perpetrators.
The incident involved a mob attack on NAIMOS operatives, including military personnel, during a lawful operation in Hwidiem, Ahafo Region. Reports indicate that the Members of Parliament for Asutifi North and South — Ebenezer Kwaku Addo and Collins Dauda — are under investigation for allegedly interfering with the task force and inciting the violence.
Illegal mining continues to devastate Ghana, particularly in the Ashanti, Eastern, and Western Regions, poisoning rivers with mercury and lead, destroying forests, and rendering agricultural lands infertile.
Despite government interventions, including the establishment of NAIMOS and the Ghana Gold Board Bill, enforcement remains inconsistent.
Afenyo-Markin’s appeal marked a call for unity, urging political actors, civil society groups, traditional authorities, and the media to collaborate in tackling galamsey. He warned that failure to act decisively could result in irreversible environmental degradation and social unrest.
