The minority leader and member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has admitted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have failed Ghana in the fight against illegal gold mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Afenyo-Markin expressed growing politicisation of Ghana’s fight against illegal gold mining.
He highlighted that the political blame game between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is upsetting genuine efforts to fight the galamsey menace.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Ghana’s natural resource management regime, Afenyo-Markin cited the 2020 general elections.
He stated, “During the 2020 campaign, the message was that they [NPP] came to take your food away, so vote against them. And the debate kept going to where we are. If we do the blame game thing, we will not get anywhere”.
“I think it goes beyond the NPP, NDC arguments. I think as a nation, we need a whole national orientation.
“Frankly speaking, I think we all failed our nation. We have to let the authorities know that we have no other alternatives; this must stop,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has stormed a notorious galamsey hideout named ‘Gangway’ at Aboso in the Western Region.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister of Government Communication, the operation was carried out on Monday, October 5, 2025.
In a post on X, he wrote, “The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has carried out a significant operation in the Western Region, targeting notorious galamsey hideouts.
On Monday, October 5, 2025, the Task Force stormed “Gangway,” a crime-infested community in Aboso, Prestea-Huni Valley District.
-Makeshift Structures Destroyed*: Several makeshift structures serving as hideouts and drug bases were set ablaze, and galamsey equipment was destroyed.
-Hundreds Surrender: Several hundred locals, mostly galamseyers, surrendered to the Task Force. These individuals were involved in various social vices, including illegal mining, trading, and narcotics smoking, as well as gambling.
-Drugs Seized- Eleven parcels of Indian Hemp were seized, alongside other hard drugs.
– Previous Warnings Ignored: This operation follows a similar one in June 2025, where NAIMOS warned criminal gangs and galamseyers to vacate the area. Despite this, the warnings were ignored.
Additional Operations:
While en route to Gangway, the NAIMOS Task Force conducted anti-galamsey operations in the Dadwen-Domping areas of the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality. These operations resulted in:
– Seizure of Equipment: 15 water pumping machines and one generator set were seized.
– *Destruction of Equipment*: Three chanfangs were destroyed, and other structures and equipment belonging to illegal miners were set ablaze.
The NAIMOS Task Force remains committed to combating illegal mining and its associated social vices in the region”.