10/14/2025
NPP and NDC figures named in galamsey scandal – TUC calls for license revocations
Deputy General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, has called for the immediate revocation of mining licenses held by politically exposed individuals involved in galamsey operations.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on October 13, Dr Otoo revealed that some politically connected figures from both the governing and opposition parties are deeply involved in illegal mining, also known as galamsey, and are profiting from the destruction of Ghana’s water bodies and forests.
He cited specific cases uncovered during a TUC fact-finding mission to assess the impact of galamsey on water treatment plants in parts of the Central and Eastern Regions.
“In Anum Apapam, we were told, somebody called Robert Lamptey, who has a license for small-scale mining in Anum Apapam and its environs, where he has a concession.
"What he does is that if I want to mine and acquire a land, I go and see him, and he covers me with his license, and I pay money to him. I pay about GH¢70,000 to him. And then every week, whatever I make from that galamsey activity, I give him about 30% of it,” Dr Otoo disclosed.
According to him, the problem extends beyond partisan lines, as politicians from both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been implicated in the illicit mining trade.
