The Convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, has pointed to politically-exposed individuals as the biggest obstacle in the nation's fight against illegal mining.

While recognising the efforts of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Dr Ashigbey, in an interview on JoyNews, stated that a form of transition has taken place between elements of the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government engaged in illegal mining, and the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

This, he stated, has taken a new twist as these persons have not only exchanged places, but have also gone into collaboration in their efforts to perpetuate the illegal mining activities, which pose a threat to Ghana's ecological reserves. "Some work is happening, but unfortunately, the criminals are still at work, and they are still doing what they are doing.

So, the criminal transition that we saw in 2016 and 2017 has happened again.