Engineer and Policy Analyst, Michael Kosi Dedey, has criticised Ghanaian politicians for what he describes as their lackadaisical attitude toward addressing galamsey and other pressing national issues.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Mr. Dedey argued that politicians demonstrate far greater commitment and resource allocation during elections than when tackling challenges of national interest.

“The amount of resources we deploy for elections is phenomenal, because the political interest has become so keen for our political players, but when it comes to addressing national issues, you won’t find the same level of interest in the deployment of resources. For instance, typical again is galamsey,” he said.

He pointed to the just-ended Akwatia by-election as an example, stressing the disparity between resources deployed for elections and those committed to the fight against illegal mining.

“Akwatia is one constituency out of the 276 in this country. For one election, you hear 5,000 policemen were deployed, all manner of things were done, soldiers, ministers, everybody was driving there. But when it comes to fighting galamsey, you don’t see 5,000 policemen, you don’t see the amount of soldiers, you don’t see ministers going in there and showing interest. That is the worrying thing,” he noted.

Mr. Dedey further accused politicians of prioritising their personal ambitions over the wellbeing of ordinary Ghanaians.

“It looks like the politicians are more interested in their own interests than the national interest,” he stressed.

His comments come on the back of the deployment of more than 5,000 police officers, along with the presence of ministers and other security agencies, during the Akwatia by-election on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

The by-election, held following the death of the area’s Member of Parliament, Ernest Kumi, was won by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Lawyer Bernard Bediako Baidoo, who polled 18,199 votes out of 33,819 valid ballots cast.