Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah who has been nominated as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has condemned the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration's approach to addressing illegal mining, often referred to as ‘galamsey.’

Former President Akufo-Addo’s administration faced extensive backlash for its inability to fulfill the 2017 pledge to address galamsey, despite promising to prioritize the issue.

In his testimony before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on January 27, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah acknowledged the NPP's early attempts but ultimately labeled their efforts as a “failure.”

He expressed his disapproval of illegal mining, especially its harmful impact on water bodies, deeming it “unacceptable” and underscoring the need for more rigorous measures to curb the crisis.

“It’s true the NPP administration started very well, there was a ban on mining places, it was six months, and it extended to nine months.

“But at the end of the 8 years, the outcome is what we all know—degraded lands, polluted water bodies, and wanton destruction of forest reserves. These are clearly facts that indicate that that fight against was a failure,” he noted.