National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has clarified that President John Dramani Mahama did not promise to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, within 120 days, emphasizing that no such timeline was ever mentioned in the President’s public statements.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, May 8, Vanderpuye explained that although President Mahama has committed to ending galamsey, he did not specify a definitive timeframe for achieving that goal.
“It is not a fight that will end in 120 days, and President Mahama did not say anywhere that within 120 days he will end galamsey. He said he will end galamsey, so it could be today, one year, and others,” he said.
He urged the public to focus on the clear commitment being demonstrated by the administration, rather than expecting a swift resolution to a deeply entrenched issue.
“What we should expect to do is that the effort being put into the fight and the sort of commitment that is being shown will be taken over by all of us to end this menace,” he added.
His remarks come amid ongoing public debate surrounding the government’s anti-galamsey campaign and its connection to broader claims about the administration’s achievements within its first 120 days.
As part of efforts to address illegal mining, Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, recently announced plans to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which currently permits mining in forest reserves.