While at it, the president appealed to the chiefs to do so by eschewing partisan political interests in the galamsey fight.
“There are many requests I intend to make on you during our behind-closed-doors session of our meeting. But one of the most significant which I have to make now is to seek your assistance to take partisan political interests out of the fight against galamsey,” he told the gathering of traditional leaders.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, the president noted the cost of the fight against galamsey on his re-election bid in 2020, adding that his party had to pay a cost for standing up against the menace.
"Since I took office on January 7th, 2017, nearly six years ago, I have made it a central feature of my presidency to lead in the fight to rid our country of this menace, which we all now call galamsey. Indeed, it was an important aspect of my inaugural address that day. It has not been easy; it has not been popular and we have not gotten the immediate results that I was looking for.
“Indeed, in the last election of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was neither bumbazed nor reckless. It was the simple truth,” the president stated.
In imploring the National House of Chiefs to take out partisan political interests away from the galamsey fight, the president took what can be seen as a direct shot at his main contender in the 2020 elections, Former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress.
“It can only succeed if it is a truly national battle which no one seeks to exploit for political gain, as we saw in our last election,” the president stated.
President Akufo-Addo’s subtle jab comes amid criticism directed at former President Mahama for seeking to exploit the galamsey menace for political gains.
It is recalled that ahead of the 2020 elections, Mr Mahama, who was the NDC’s Presidential Candidate, promised to free illegal miners who were jailed under the Akufo-Addo government if he was voted in.
He said this when he addressed the chiefs and people of Odum Banso in the Western Region during the campaign season.
“It’s sad. The government said it was fighting galamsey, and they arrested, prosecuted, and jailed Ghanaians who were engaged in that activity but left the Chinese woman [Aisha Huang],” he noted.
“Today, they are still in prison. That Chinese galamsey queen was arrested but left to go free. She was never prosecuted but our people are in jail suffering. When we come, we shall grant all those arrested and jailed some amnesty.
“They will come back to their homes and work. I believe that they have suffered enough, shown remorse for whatever wrong they committed. We will institute measures to check the operations of small-scale mining,” the former president said.
The statement by the former president has been at the center of an attempt to exploit the galamsey menace for political gains being directed at Mr Mahama.
A renewed public call is being made on the government to take drastic measures in the fight against illegal mining.
The galamsey menace over the past few months has resulted in severe destruction to various water and forest reserves across the country.
Watch the latest episode of #SayItLoud below:
President Akufo-Addo and former President John Mahama