Kwasi Amakye-Boateng, a Senior Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has made a bold statement regarding the galamsey crisis in Ghana.
He argued that the only effective way to combat illegal mining and its devastating effects on the environment is to vote out the current administration, led by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
According to Amakye-Boateng, the environmental degradation resulting from galamsey activities can be directly attributed to the government under President Nana Akufo-Addo.
“It is only the Akufo-Addo-led government who should be held accountable for the failures in the fight against galamsey,” he stated on the Hot Morning Drive.
He criticized those involved in illegal mining, stating, “People who indulge in the act are motivated solely by profit and show no concern for the environmental damage they cause.”
In addition, Amakye-Boateng cited recent remarks made by Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, the Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, who controversially expressed support for illegal mining activities during a public address on September 28, 2024.
The academic further noted that the country is already in a state of emergency due to the rampant galamsey issue, regardless of whether the President officially declares it.
While he acknowledges the value of protests against galamsey, he insists that the most effective solution lies in the ballot box: “Voting the Akufo-Addo government out is the only viable option to put an end to this crisis.”
