In the latest chapter of Ghana’s fight against galamsey—the illegal mining scourge that continues to destroy lands and rivers—Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a leading communicator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has delivered a candid critique that’s raising eyebrows.
Remarking on renewed government attention on Akonta Mining, a company long at the center of controversy, he indicated that the Akonta issue is a resurgent political narrative that seems to be recycling more than it resolves.
Aboagye did not mince words as he raised questions about what he sees as selective justice and a political performance masquerading as accountability.
“My worry is, why are we creating an impression as if the war against Galamsey, as we are fighting now, is Akonta Mining? And that’s why I’m trying to be very careful. …it’s easy for Akonta Mining to say, I’m being witch-hunted. It’s very, very easy for them to say I’m being watch-hunted.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
This isn’t the first time Akonta Mining has come under scrutiny. In 2022, under the NPP government, the Minerals Commission publicly declared that the company had no valid licenses to operate in certain forest reserves.
Yet, Chairman Wontumi, who owns the company and also chairs the NPP in the Ashanti Region, refuted the claims.
Galamsey War Now A Political Show
Dennis Aboagye’s concern extended beyond the legalities of the mining operations to the manner in which political figures manage such delicate matters.
Reflecting on the government’s recent press conference on galamsey, he remarked that it was premature and unnecessary.
In his view, politicians often become overly eager to seize media moments, which ultimately results in anticlimactic outcomes that lack lasting impact.
“By the time you realise, two weeks later, we are here asking what happened to the Akonta mining issue… You would probably have realised that you don’t have enough evidence.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
He likened the situation to accusing someone of theft without the evidence to prove it in court.
Instead of press conferences, Aboagye believes in letting the evidence speak for itself—in court. “Let the first news even be at the time when you are in court with them [Akonta Mining].”
According to him, that way, the public can finally see action rather than political theatre.
To him, the government’s press event revealed nothing new. “All the information that was shared yesterday was here,” he stated, referring to past statements from the Minerals Commission and previous denials by Chairman Wontumi.
He pointed out that the videos and documents paraded during the latest press engagement were simply recycled. “So, I mean, I’m asking myself, what’s next? What is the new information that was shared yesterday? None.”
The government’s selective outrage also troubles Aboagye. If the goal is truly to fight galamsey, he argued, then videos of all perpetrators—regardless of political affiliation—should be aired.
Referring to a video of an NDC chairman in Dunkwa allegedly assaulting military personnel at a galamsey site, Aboagye said, “Show that video as well. Then some of us would have supported you and said, well, you are fighting it.”
When only one side is targeted, he argued, it breeds suspicion and fuels partisanship.
“Because then I feel that you are targeting my organization… I have to protect my organization. That is our challenge.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
He was especially critical of the Minister’s emotional appeal during the presentation, calling it misdirected.
“We didn’t vote for you to come and cry,” Aboagye said, pointing to the Minister’s past bravado in Parliament, when he accused the former president of embodying poor governance.
Public Urged to Depoliticize Galamsey
Meanwhile, the NPP communicator remains firm that the real enemies are the illegal miners who continue to ravage the country’s environment for personal gain.
“These guys involved in Galamsey are criminals… greedy people. We have to deal with this matter and deal with it very much.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
Still, he urged his party members not to hold grudges against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for using galamsey as a political weapon when in opposition. “They were just doing the opposition’s job.”
He noted that now that the NDC is in power, the focus should shift to results, not revenge.
“Let’s put Galamsey aside and use other things,” he advised, suggesting that incompetence would eventually oust the NDC, not galamsey politics.
However, in the meantime, he called for unity in solving the crisis. “Come together, work with them, and make sure that they deal with this matter once and for all. Because our survival is at stake.”
And that, perhaps, is the crux of the matter. Ghana’s fight against galamsey has always been undermined by political calculation.
Until both major parties commit to depoliticizing the crisis, it will remain a tragic game of blame rather than a war won in the trenches of action.
