Director of Communications for the Bawumia Campaign Team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has defended former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s record in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey), insisting that no previous leader matched his commitment to ending the menace.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, Aboagye argued that although the problem persists, Akufo-Addo remains the only president to demonstrate tangible progress, citing improvements in water quality during his first term as evidence.
“None of them – not Mahama, not Professor Atta Mills – was able to achieve this. It was Nana Addo who showed that our water bodies could clean up,” he stated.
He attributed the limited success of the campaign partly to the politicisation of the fight, accusing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and sections of the public of undermining the former president’s efforts.
“The way the NDC managed to turn the entire country against Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the way they managed to politicise galamsey, is one of the reasons why Akufo-Addo could not complete the fight against galamsey,” Aboagye said.
Aboagye maintained that despite the challenges, Akufo-Addo provided a ‘proof of concept’ that illegal mining could be tackled effectively if political actors and citizens united behind the cause.
