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Claim: A member of the NDC Communications team, Hamza Suhuyini Sayibu, stated that President Mahama did not promise to end galamsey within his first 120 days in office.
Verdict: True! No such promise was made. However, the government promised to ban illegal mining in forest reserves and initiate environmental recovery programs, which it has yet to do.
Full Text
Galamsey, the local term for illegal small-scale mining, has been a persistent challenge in Ghana, causing environmental degradation, water pollution, and social unrest.
During the 2024 election campaign, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were scrutinised over their plans to tackle the issue.
However, John Dramani Mahama, the NDC flagbearer who won the December 2024 presidential election, made galamsey and solutions for it a key campaign focus by providing a “120-day social contract,” which outlined actions to be taken within his first 120 days in office, starting January 7, 2025.
Following Mahama’s inauguration, some media outlets and public discussions suggested that he had promised to end galamsey within 120 days. This narrative gained traction, prompting Hamza Suhuyini Sayibu, a member of the NDC Communications team, to refute the claim in an article published by 3news.com on April 2, 2025, titled “Mahama did not promise to end ‘galamsey’ within 120 days – Hamza Suhuyini.”
Mr Suhuyini stated, “There’s nowhere in NDC’s 26 promises that President Mahama has said that ‘I will end illegal mining in 120 days.’”
The 3news.com article was also shared on TV3 Ghana’s official Facebook page on April 2, 2025, under the headline, “Hanza Suhuyini, a member of the NDC Communications Team, refutes claims that President Mahama promised to end illegal mining in 120 days.”
The post garnered significant engagement, receiving 2.5K likes, 550 comments, and 66 shares. Comments under the post reflected a mix of scepticism and frustration.
For instance, a user named Old-king Noble Deladem wrote, “Anybody that says NDC promised to end galamsey in 120 days didn’t take reading comprehension seriously in school. Good morning,” while Barima Nana Kwame Essuon I commented, “They’ve started running away from their words ooo.”
Nonetheless, another user, Old-king Noble Deladem, added, “As a Media house, I trust you, so kindly, check the archive and tell us the truth, not what he said.”
Abukari Alhassan asked, “Why are you guys running away from your previous statement?” Equally, Mallam V IP Sadick asked, “So if u guys have proof of what the president said, why don’t u prove it? Hamza was right.”
Other comments, like those from Anthony Toboh and Ohene Nyantakyi, urged a more pragmatic view. Nyantakyi noted, “The NDC needs to sign… Pepe and Sergio Ramos, cos it won’t be easy to defend every nonsense; they just lure some vulnerable Ghanaians to vote for them.”
It was also posted on TV3 Ghana’s official X account on the same day, with the caption, “There’s nowhere in NDC’s 26 promises that President Mahama has said that ‘I will end illegal mining in 120 days’ – Hamza Suhuyini,” garnering 58.6K views, 117 retweets, 1.7K likes, and 15 comments by 10:54 AM on April 2, 2025.
DUBAWA decided to investigate further due to the public’s reliance on accurate information about campaign promises, especially on a critical issue like galamsey, and the potential for misinformation to undermine trust in the new administration.
The significant engagement on TV3 Ghana’s Facebook post and the polarised comments highlighted the need for clarity on what Mahama promised.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA examined the NDC’s official 120-day social contract document on galamsey:
NDC’s 120-Day Social Contract: The document lists 26 commitments to be implemented within Mahama’s first 120 days.
Point 19 states, “Ban illegal and new mining activities in forest reserves. Roll out our ‘Tree for Life’ and ‘Blue Water Initiative’ to heal and sustainably harness the environment by turning areas and water bodies degraded by illegal mining into economic and ecological recovery hubs.”
This statement indicates a plan to address galamsey by banning illegal mining in forest reserves and starting environmental recovery programs.
However, there is no explicit promise to end galamsey within 120 days. The language suggests the initiation of a process, not its completion.
Additionally, Point 13 mentions instituting inquiries into “Galamsey Fraud” and “missing excavators,” but this refers to investigating related corruption, not ending galamsey itself within the timeframe.
While it is true the NDC did not promise to end galamsey in 120 days in its manifesto, it did promise to ban all mining activities in forest reserves within 120 days.
Having spent more than 120 days in government, DUBAWA can report that the government has yet to meet its campaign promise of banning illegal mining activities in forest reserves.
On March 10, 2025, Defense Minister Dr. Omane Boamah warned illegal miners to stay out of forest reserves following a joint operation by the Forestry Commission and military that seized 10 excavators and a bulldozer in the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve, as reported by gbcghanaonline.com. The minister urged miners to evacuate their equipment, indicating enforcement efforts, but no mention was made of a formal ban being legislated or fully enforced.
As of April 3, 2025, no official government statement or report confirms that a nationwide ban on illegal mining in forest reserves has been formally legislated or fully enforced, even though there have been several reports of galamsey in forest reserves. While operations to remove miners and seize equipment have occurred, these actions do not necessarily equate to a comprehensive ban. Additionally, the “Tree for Life” and “Blue Water Initiative” programs were not mentioned in available reports, so their rollout status remains unclear.
With the 120-day promise set to expire on May 7, 2025, it remains to be seen if the ban will be announced and duly enforced.
Conclusion
The claim that Mahama promised to end galamsey within 120 days is false. The NDC’s 120-day social contract commits to banning illegal mining in forest reserves and initiating environmental recovery programs, but Point 19 does not promise to eradicate galamsey within 120 days.
