Hot!
NDC has no excuse not to repeal L.I. 2462 – Engineer Michael Kosi Dedey
Engineer and analyst, Michael Kosi Dedey, has criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for failing to repeal L.I. 2462, a law regulating small-scale mining, stressing that the party has no excuse given its majority in Parliament.
Mr. Dedey explained that the governing party cannot blame the opposition for delays in addressing illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
According to him, the inaction of the government shows a lack of commitment to the fight against the menace.
“The NDC has no excuse. With their majority in Parliament, nothing stops them from repealing L.I. 2462,” he noted.
He argued that both the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have not conducted themselves well in government, especially when it comes to tackling the galamsey problem.
“So you see, when you say that you are fighting the others, and then when you come, you also do the same thing, it’s like fetching water with a basket — by the time you get home, it’s empty,” he explained.
Mr. Dedey urged the government to take proactive measures to stop people from engaging in illegal mining rather than waiting to punish offenders after the damage is done.
“The law must not just deal with people who have already committed illegal acts, but even those attempting to go into it. We should prevent them before they start,” he emphasized.
He also questioned why the government had failed to review or repeal the mining regulation despite setting up a new Gold Board months ago.
“You set up a whole Gold Board, but you can’t deal with the law? It shows that governments do not think before coming into power. They just make promises, come into office, and start making excuses,” he pointed out.
Mr. Dedey believes the government’s lack of planning and poor leadership have worsened the environmental and economic consequences of illegal mining, including the destruction of water bodies and rising costs of water treatment.
He described the estimated four million people involved in illegal mining as a “national disaster,” warning that the situation must not be taken lightly.
He criticized President Mahama’s recent comments suggesting that he was waiting for advice or budgetary support to fight galamsey, describing it as weak leadership.
“For the president to say he’s waiting for the Security Council or the Finance Minister to make financial provisions is worrying. The president chairs the Security Council, and the Finance Minister presents the budget in his name,” Mr. Dedey stated.
He concluded that the government must show real commitment and take decisive action if it truly wants to end the galamsey menace.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Photos from the High-Level Event on Reparatory Justice for the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialised chattel enslavement of African people, convened at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.
Delivering a powerful address, President John Dramani Mahama underscored the moral urgency of confronting historical injustices and advancing a global commitment to reparatory justice.
“The entire transatlantic slave trade was designed to deny African people their humanity,” the President stated.
Highlighting the significance of ongoing international efforts, he added:“This resolution allows us, as a global community, to collectively bear witness to the plight of the 18 million men, women, and children whose homes, communities, names, families, hopes, dreams, futures, and lives were stolen from them over the course of four centuries.”
In reaffirming the enduring truth of justice, President Mahama noted:
“Just because everybody is doing something doesn’t make it right. Slavery is wrong now, and it was wrong then. For as long as Africans have been trafficked and enslaved, there have been abolitionists who have spoken up against it.”
He further called for a deeper reflection on identity and dignity:
“We must also remember to reclaim our own humanity… when we absorb too much of the language of violence and erasure, our minds become enslaved.”
A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Beatrice Siaw, has expressed mixed views about Ghana’s current leadership, saying she admires President John Dramani Mahama but is not fully satisfied with how the country is being governed.
Speaking in an interview on Metro TV on Tuesday, she said although she belongs to the NPP, she finds it difficult to criticise the President personally.
“I admire President Mahama, so it’s hard to speak against him. But I do love my party. I am impressed with the President, not necessarily impressed with how things are going” she said.
She acknowledged that the NDC has made efforts in managing the economy and improving some key indicators. She noted that the party appears determined to prove critics wrong after previously being voted out of office.
“They are trying to do a lot of things that Ghanaians thought they couldn’t do when they were in power,” she said.
However, she was quick to add that these efforts may not necessarily translate into electoral success in the next election cycle.
When asked whether the NDC’s performance could pose a strong challenge in 2028, she said she does not believe so, although she admitted there have been some improvements in certain areas.
“In some aspects, yes,” she said when asked if she had been impressed by the government’s performance.
By: Jacob Aggrey
