The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in his bid to get the votes of illegal miners popularly known as galamseyers has made a juicy promise.
Addressing enthusiastic supporters during a health walk at Kwahu in the Eastern Region, on Saturday, March 30, he announced that confiscated excavators would no longer be set ablaze his administration.
Despite applauding the NPP’s efforts in combating galamsey over the past seven years, he acknowledged the need for a new strategy to address the canker effectively.
This is a significant shift in the Akufo-Addo government’s approach to dealing with the galamsey menace in the country.
If elected, Dr Bawumia pledged to implement a revamped approach to curb illegal mining while preserving seized equipment, particularly excavators.
“We are going to help small-scale miners; we will introduce a mineral development bank to get money for them. There is a new regime for small-scale miners, we will not burn your seized excavators,” he said.
The NPP flagbearer said the current NPP administration, under President Akufo-Addo’s leadership, has surpassed the previous Mahama government in every facet of the economy.
“Jobs, we have performed better, agricultural growth, we have performed better, Zongo development, we have performed better, roads, we have performed better, airports, we have performed better, interchanges, we have performed better,” he added.