Communications Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has refuted claims that he supported calls by civil society organizations (CSOs) for a state of emergency to be declared in areas affected by illegal mining during the Akufo-Addo administration.
According to him, the NDC, as a corporate body, never supported the calls for a state of emergency.
“Go and check me. I spoke on it even on Good Morning Ghana. I said I disagreed with them—that the problem was not to declare any state of emergency.
“What we had to do was to declare a state of emergency on Akufo-Addo and his gang and vote them out because they were the ones supervising the illegal mining menace,” he stated.
Mr. Gyamfi, who also serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod), disclosed this in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, while acknowledging that some individuals within the party had supported the calls.
“It was in 2017/18 when the NPP banned mining that we exported more gold, and such a feat has not been attained since then. The ban was a façade, and so I didn’t support calls for a state of emergency because they would have hidden behind it and taken people’s concessions,” he added.
Sammy Gyamfi’s clarification comes amid growing calls for President John Mahama to declare a state of emergency, as illegal mining activities continue to worsen.
There has been pressure on the President to follow through on his earlier promises to declare a state of emergency.
Meanwhile, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has affirmed the government’s commitment to addressing illegal mining activities.
He stated that the government is exploring all possible measures, including declaring a state of emergency and temporarily banning small-scale mining, to clamp down on the menace.
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