Former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Cromwell Nanabanyin Onuawonto Bissue, has made startling revelations that some members of his own New Patriotic Party (NPP) undermined the fight against illegal mining when he served under the Akufo-Addo administration.
Discussing the galamsey menace on Inside Pages on Metro TV on Saturday, October 4, 2025, Charles Bissue said several people within his party lobbied to engage in illegal mining and turned against him when he refused to allow it.
“Within my own party, people wanted to mine illegally,” he told host Moro Awudu.
Bissue, who served as Secretary to the IMCIM from 2017 to 2020, said the challenge of political interference was one of the biggest obstacles that crippled the committee’s work.
“Everybody knew the truth, but nobody said it,” he said.
“Within my party, people wanted to mine, and when you stopped them, they made you the enemy.”
He alleged that despite reporting these incidents to state security agencies, no concrete action was taken.
“Everything I’ve said, the BNI has the information. The CID has the information. I reported everything to them,” he claimed.
“Why haven’t we done anything about that?” he asked.
The former Western Regional Secretary of the NPP said the problem of political protectionism cuts across both major parties, adding that illegal mining has become a political bargaining chip instead of a national priority.
“This galamsey thing doesn’t have any political party,” he stressed. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re NPP or NDC, the water we all drink doesn’t have colours.”
Charles Bissue also defended his record in office, insisting that the Akufo-Addo government had put in place a structured plan to regulate small-scale mining before political interests got in the way.
“We came up with a roadmap, trained people to operate drones, and tried to make the system transparent,” he said.
“But some people within the party didn’t want discipline. And when you insist on doing what’s right, you become unpopular.”
He lamented that the lack of accountability and the culture of silence within political parties continue to weaken Ghana’s efforts to curb illegal mining.
“We should stop being hypocrites,” he said. “Until we start holding our own people accountable, this fight will remain a joke.”
His comments come a day after President John Mahama met with civil society organisations (CSOs) at the Jubilee House to discuss the government’s anti-galamsey measures, a meeting that has reignited public debate about whether the political class has the will to end the menace.
