I’ve not seen any progress in the galamsey fight since Ex-President Kufuor’s tenure – Sulemana Braimah

Chief Executive Officer of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, asserts that he has not noticed any significant progress in Ghana's battle against illegal mining, regardless of efforts undertaken by various governments. Braimah remarked, "To the point of whether this government is fighting galamsey, we are making progress or not, to be honest with you, I have not seen any progress."

He contends that the nation seems to be repeatedly implementing measures that previous administrations had already attempted without achieving long-term success in tackling the issue. Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on October 31, Braimah noted that interventions to combat illegal mining can be traced back to the early 2000s, when former President John Agyekum Kufuor initiated Operation Flush Out.

He stated that subsequent administrations, including those led by President John Evans Atta Mills, John Dramani Mahama, and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, each introduced measures to address the problem. Braimah pointed out that these efforts followed a similar pattern, with military personnel deployed and resources such as excavators seized.

He added that even with the return of President John Mahama in 2025, he remains unconvinced that the country is making meaningful strides in eradicating illegal mining. Braimah emphasized that while successive governments have taken various actions, these have not yielded the desired outcomes. "If it is about actions that we can speak to, that they did that and did this…… so in terms of the fight, I believe if it is about what is happening with NAIMOS, forest reserves recovered is fine, but we still have our water bodies polluted, we still have galamseyers on the field," he concluded.