On Monday, September 28, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, Media Relations Officer at the Lands Ministry, appeared on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV to stress the need for a nationwide effort to tackle the illegal mining crisis, known locally as galamsey.
Schandorf urged citizens to support the government’s initiatives, arguing that the fight should not become a partisan issue. He warned that continued politicisation could undermine meaningful progress and that the country must move beyond assigning blame to political parties.
He noted that successive administrations have at times sought political capital from the galamsey crisis, but the scale of the problem now demands a unified national response. “Government is working assiduously, around the clock to deal decisively with the issue,” he said.
Schandorf cited a recent distress call in which excavators were allegedly brought into a community against residents’ wishes, with individuals linked to both major political parties allegedly involved. He used the incident to illustrate how political interests can impede efforts to curb illegal mining.
He called on stakeholders to set aside political considerations and treat the fight against galamsey as a national priority, likening it to the approach used against serious criminal activities.
Authorities are intensifying efforts to address the menace, and Schandorf urged Ghanaians to back the government’s interventions in this critical campaign.
