A Presidential Staffer, Dr. Samuel Ayeh, has cautioned that misinformation and false narratives are undermining the government’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
According to him, the spread of misleading information, particularly from individuals who claim to be independent voices or experts, is eroding public trust and distorting the government’s genuine efforts to end the menace.
He said: “Until we have been able to wage a relentless and consistent war against galamsey, there will always be challenges. All we need is honesty, because the level of misinformation from people who claim to be independent is terrible, and we must not encourage such behaviour.”
He cited a recent incident in which military excavators being transported from the port to Shai Hills were wrongly portrayed as equipment imported to aid illegal mining.
“We saw a situation where even when the military was moving excavators from the port to Shai Hills, we had people saying we are bringing in excavators for galamsey. How can you fight galamsey with this level of misinformation in the system?” he asked.
Dr. Ayeh noted that such false claims weaken public confidence and divert attention from the real work being done to tackle the issue.
He, however, maintained that despite the misinformation, President John Dramani Mahama remains resolute in his determination to end illegal mining.
“Everybody can be sceptical, that is fair, but the point is that President Mahama is focused and committed to winning the fight,” he said, adding that both the President and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources had demonstrated strong leadership in addressing the problem.
“With the commitment that the President and the Lands Minister have shown, we will win the fight,” he assured.
