Work on galamsey has started but will take time to clean water bodies – Asiedu Nketiah

The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has come to the defense of the ruling government over its yet-to-be-fulfilled promises.

According to him, people have been complaining and blaming the government for what they perceive as its slow pace in addressing issues such as illegal mining and unemployment.

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He, however, asserted that even though the government has begun working on such issues, the results take time to materialise.

He said this in a video posted by TV3, in which he was addressing a gathering, and sighted by GhanaWeb.

“People have been blaming the government for our promise to control galamsey, which we are yet to deliver on. They are blaming government for our promise to create jobs for all the youth. Work has started, but it hasn't shown results yet,” he said in the video.

To make his point clearer, Asiedu Nketiah used the analogy of how pregnant women give birth in nine months and not less, insisting that some of the issues being addressed have 'their own timeline for maturity.'

He continued; “I just want to remind everybody that however hard you try, you cannot produce a child in less than nine months. If you marry today and you say that people are teasing me, I want to have a child, can you produce a child in less than nine months? When a woman becomes pregnant, no matter how hard you pray, no matter what work you do, it will still take nine months for a child to be born. So, some of the things have their own timeline for maturity.”

The politician maintained that the results of the fight against galamsey will be evident in the state of water bodies and forest reserves, but will require time, calling on Ghanaians to exercise patience.

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“If work has started on the control of galamsey, we don't expect our rivers to be clean within that short time. If you stop the mining, it will take some time for the water bodies to be clean. If you stop the mining in forest reserve, it will take some time for us to reclaim the forest and plant new trees. So, I am happy about the progress being made, and I want all of you to commend the government for the work that has been done so far,” he concluded.

Watch the video below:

"However hard you try, one cannot produce a child in less than nine months. Work has started on the control of galamsey, but it will take some time for us to reclaim the forest and for the water bodies to be clean."

- Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson… pic.twitter.com/lF8BAA8D4w

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) October 14, 2025