President has revealed that he has taken significant political risks in his determined fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, stating that his presidency is on the line as a result.
President Akufo-Addo made this declaration during his 'Thank You Tour' in the Northeast Region on Tuesday, 15 October 2024, where he reflected on the challenges and criticisms surrounding his anti-galamsey campaign, which began in 2017.
Acknowledging the political toll of the fight, President Akufo-Addo emphasised his unwavering commitment to eradicating illegal mining despite the backlash.
He attributed the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) poor performance in mining districts during the 2020 general elections to the opposition's claims about his stance on galamsey. "In the last election [2020] in the mining districts of the country, the NPP did very badly largely because the NDC presidential candidate and the party had gone around the mining areas and said that the policy that I was implementing of trying to stop galamsey would be reversed when he comes to power, and that those who were already in jail for the offences, the galamsey offences, all of them would be amnestied," he explained.