Delighted that Mahama did not address "galamsey"—Asah-Asante—at the inauguration

Political scientist, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, has expressed disappointment with President John Dramani Mahama for not addressing the fight against illegal mining, also known as ‘galamsey’, in his inaugural speech on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

While corruption, education, healthcare, and the economy were among the important topics discussed in President Mahama's speech, Dr. Asah-Asante was especially disappointed that the ongoing Galamsey crisis—which he described as a life-threatening issue for the nation—was not mentioned at all.

Galamsey has serious negative effects on the environment and society, including as deforestation, contaminated water, and loss of livelihoods. It is projected that Ghana has lost almost $2.3 billion in revenue as a result of Galamsey.

Speaking in an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Dr. Asah-Asante acknowledged the president’s speech and praised the emphasis on key national concerns.

However, he emphasized that the fight against galamsey should have been a priority.

He further stressed that the battle against illegal mining must continue, as it has long-term benefits for the country.

I was unhappy that the president did not find a way to include the fight against galamsey in the address," he remarked. And since it's better late than never, I think they should include it if he or his staff are paying attention in order to keep up the galamsey struggle. There is no way to stop the battle against galamsey.

We must continue and it will bring a lot of benefit to our society. Make sure that you get the boys who are this thing, get them license to engage in proper small scale mining, that you can be sure that the environment can be protected, water bodies can be protected and then the lives of individuals will be safeguarded, above all, you are going to raise in money.”