The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, and MP for Bosome Freho, Hon. Nana Kwame Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has warned that entrenched hypocrisy in Ghana’s approach to illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, could ultimately lead to the country’s collapse.
He argued that systemic dishonesty, political self-interest, and selective enforcement of laws are undermining the national fight against environmental destruction.
“Hypocrisy is what will collapse this country, and when we get to the point where it is collapsing, none of us can save it. We have allowed our hypocrisy to eat so much into us, and nobody thinks about the interest of the entire country again – it is just our selfish and individual interests”
Hon. Nana Kwame Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs
The lawmaker traced the escalation of the galamsey crisis to the unchecked influx of Chinese nationals into Ghana’s mining sector and the introduction of floating dredging machines known as changfans.
He alleged that successive governments, particularly under the late President John Evans Atta Mills and former President John Dramani Mahama, created the conditions that allowed illegal mining to flourish. “That was how and when mining became detrimental to us,” he said.
According to him, the introduction of changfans marked a turning point where artisanal mining transformed into destructive operations that devastated water bodies and farmlands. The MP also alleged that illegal mining has become heavily politicised, with control of mining operations shifting depending on which political party is in power.
He said many miners who once aligned with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have now withdrawn from operations, handing over their equipment to those affiliated with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He explained that, as someone who lives in a mining community, he has witnessed firsthand how NDC-affiliated miners feel emboldened to operate, investing heavily in mining while others are pushed out due to fears of political targeting. “The NDC people have now invested heavily in mining,” he said.
Deportation Agreement Sparks Fresh Tensions
Beyond the mining crisis, Hon. Asafo-Adjei also criticised the government over the controversial deportation agreement with the United States.
He said the National Democratic Congress administration “did not need Minority support in Parliament to move forward with the deal,” raising questions about why it has not been brought before the legislature for ratification.
His remarks come after Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa defended the arrangement, explaining that it remains at the memorandum of understanding stage and therefore does not require immediate parliamentary approval.
Hon. Ablakwa said the MoU had been vetted by Cabinet and the Attorney General and stressed that deportees deemed security risks would not be admitted into Ghana.
He added that Parliament would be involved if the understanding is upgraded into a binding treaty.
Hon. Asafo-Adjei, however, rejected that reasoning, insisting that the government’s posture creates suspicion. “For you to tell us that you don’t need to go to Parliament because it is an MoU – is where I disagree with you,” he noted.
“And for you to tell us that you came to meet several MoUs in your office so this one can be one of the MoUs you came to meet is problematic,” the Bosome Freho MP argued, further questioning Hon. Ablakwa’s argument that previous administrations had signed similar MoUs.
He emphasised that the Minority’s stance is not about frustrating the government simply because they cannot influence decisions with their numbers, but about safeguarding democratic accountability “now and for the future.”
By linking the galamsey crisis with the deportation deal, Asafo-Adjei suggested that both issues reflect the dangers of selective governance and institutional hypocrisy, warning that without genuine national interest at the core of decision-making, Ghana’s democratic and environmental stability remain at risk.
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