Key Points
- Minister Sam George defends President Mahama’s handling of galamsey.
- The previous administration failed to resolve galamsey despite eight years in office.
- Seven forest reserves have been recovered under President Mahama in just 60 days.
Sam Nartey George, the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, stated that it would be “unfair” to expect President John Mahama to resolve the long-standing issue of illegal mining, known as galamsey, in just 96 days. He made this comment during an interview with Channel One TV on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Previous administration’s failure to tackle galamsey
The minister pointed out that while steps are being taken to address illegal mining, it is unrealistic to expect an immediate fix to a problem that has existed for nearly a decade.
He emphasized that it would be unreasonable to expect President Mahama to solve the deeply-rooted issues of galamsey within weeks, given that the previous administration had eight years to tackle the issue but was unsuccessful.
George’s comments came in response to questions regarding his earlier statements about former President Akufo-Addo’s handling of illegal mining. He explained that when he criticized Akufo-Addo’s administration, it was towards the end of his term.
By that time, the former president had already invested taxpayers’ money in the Operation Vanguard initiative, but many of the officials meant to fight galamsey were becoming complicit in it.
Recovery efforts under President Mahama’s administration
Despite these challenges, George highlighted that President Mahama’s administration had already achieved progress. In just 60 days, seven forest reserves had been recovered from illegal miners.
While he acknowledged that more could be done, he stressed that it would be unfair to expect one person to resolve the mess created over eight years in such a short time.
George described galamsey as a “crime against humanity” and emphasized that regardless of political party, illegal mining should be addressed in a non-partisan manner. He called for a comprehensive approach to tackling the issue.
