It took the NDC coming into power to know the difference between legal and illegal mining – NPP Communicator
Dr. Ekua Amoako, a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP), communications team has taken a swipe at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) over what she describes as hypocrisy and inconsistency in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
According to her, while in opposition, the NDC condemned every mining activity without distinguishing between legal and illegal operations, but now appears to admit there is a difference.
“According to the NDC’s playbook, anybody that was a miner was doing galamsey. But now they know there’s a difference. Now they know arresting people and seizing excavators is progress. I’m surprised because all the actions they are touting today were already in place years ago,” Dr. Amoako said.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show on Monday, 22 August, 2025, Dr. Amoako expressed shock at remarks made by her dear friend Gabriella on the issue, accusing the NDC of double standards.
She argued that the measures currently being implemented, such as the Blue Water Guards, river wardens, and alternative livelihood programmes, are not new interventions, but rather initiatives that existed before the NPP came to power.
Dr. Amoako further stressed that the enforcement of anti-galamsey laws has always been a challenge because of the lucrative nature of the gold mining sector, which makes security personnel vulnerable to bribery.
“The truth is that the sector of gold mining is very, very, very lucrative, and so it is very, very easy for people to be manipulated.
“If someone is going there with a salary of 5,000 and is offered $10,000, I mean, it would take maybe one in 10 people who would have that strong will to be able to say no to that, it is a human problem we also faced when in government,” she added.
She recalled how even NDC’s own women’s organizer once had her equipment seized despite engaging in legal mining, underscoring the complexities of distinguishing between legal and illegal operations.
Dr. Amoako urged the NDC to admit that it has no effective strategy for dealing with galamsey, warning that Ghana’s water bodies and environment will continue to deteriorate if the current approach remains unchanged.
“We’ve seen this movie before. We know how it ends. If they say we should give them time, we’ll give them time, but so far, there is nothing that gives hope to Ghanaians,” she said.
She concluded by questioning whether the NDC’s loud criticisms in the past were merely a ploy to gain access to the country’s lucrative mining concessions.
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