According to the outgoing president of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, his policy agenda was greatly affected by his fight against galamsey.
In the run-up to the 2016 general elections, the eventual winner, President Nana Addo, publicly declared war against illegal mining as part of his campaign message.
However, approaching the end of his two-term presidency, his fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey, has been nothing but unsatisfactory to millions of Ghanaians whose tap water was mostly filled with mud due to the Ghana Water Company’s struggle to provide clean water courtesy of the affected water bodies.
The president, in his final State of the Nation Address on Friday, January 3, 2025, stated that the war he waged against illegal mining affected his party’s parliamentary seats at the 2020 general polls, as he sought a second term.
“The fight against galamsey led to my party losing several seats in the 2020 elections and to the makeup of this eighth parliament, which affected the implementation of my policy agenda and impacted the second term of my presidency,” he said in front of the August House.
At the end of the 2020 general polls, the available 275 seats were divided evenly among the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress, with just one independent candidate securing a seat.
