Speaking on the maiden edition of Prime Insight on Joy Prime on Saturday, August 16, Mr. Mustapha described galamsey as a long-standing national challenge that predates the current administration.

“I dare say the fight against galamsey has proven to be a very stubborn one that has unfortunately plunged the nation into grief beyond all the shenanigans and the politics. It didn’t start now. This menace has been around for a very long time,” he said.

He cautioned that reducing the issue to “political football” distracts from finding lasting solutions.

“If we were to pick it on that basis, we would have dealt with it well, but to reduce it to politics and weaponise it like they did in the last elections against the NPP speaks volumes. It was weaponised through demonstrations and slogans, with hands placed on the neck of former President Akufo-Addo,” he added.

Comparing galamsey to drug cartels

Mr. Mustapha likened the galamsey fight to America’s decades-long battle with drug cartels, stressing that both involve powerful networks that operate beyond the influence of politicians.

“These are enterprises controlled by cartels, powerful blocs and people who don’t care about politicians or politics. Their interest is in wealth, influence and money,” he explained.

Akufo-Addo’s vow and political consequences

When asked whether President Akufo-Addo set himself up for criticism by declaring that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line to fight galamsey, the NPP youth leader acknowledged that leaders must be accountable but maintained that the party bore a heavy political cost for its efforts.

“Because of the fight, in the 2020 elections, we lost 19 seats on the mining radar and virtually all the mining constituencies except for a few around Obuasi and Akwatia.
You would not believe that NPP lost a seat like Akrofuom in the Adansi area of the Ashanti Region. The ramifications are dire, and the weaponisation of it is what has made it so,” he stated.