Mustapha Gbande: NDC gov’t has shown renewed commitment in galamsey fight

The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, says the government has shown renewed commitment and energy in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Tuesday, December30, he said since the NDC assumed office, efforts have been intensified to streamline mining activities, particularly those that pollute water bodies and degrade forest reserves.

He noted that the government has moved with a united front, with the President, ministers, and state agencies all working together to address public concerns about environmental destruction.

According to him, strong attention has also been placed on regulating artisanal and alluvial mining to ensure that mining activities are carried out responsibly and in line with the law.

Touching on the issue of foreign nationals involved in illegal mining, Mr. Gbanda said deportations have been consistently enforced.

He explained that in early 2025, several foreign nationals engaged in galamsey were deported through the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ghana Immigration Service, and other security agencies.

Mr. Gbanda stressed that authorities have remained firm on the issue, adding that there has not been any instance where foreign nationals arrested for illegal mining were allowed to remain in the country.

He said the government remains determined to protect Ghana’s natural resources and ensure that mining activities do not come at the expense of the environment and public health.

“For us as a party and I believe a government ever since we came into power, there has been a considerable amount of renewed energy and commitment and first of all streamlining mining relaed activities in this country relative to pollution and what in one accord what the people of Ghana has demonstrated discomfort towards.

“So if you check the president, the ministers, everybody has come together to fight mining particularly in the water bodies and then the forest reserves and also streamlining the artisanal and alluvial mining activities.

“When it comes to the issues of deportation and all of that, I know that in the beginning of 2025 a lot of foreign nationals who have been engaged in or caught up in these things have been deported facilitated by the Minister for the Interior, the immigration and all other agencies involved. I do not think that there has been an occasion where such people were caught and they were not deported.”