Engineer and policy analyst Michael Kosi Dedey has criticised Ghanaian politicians for placing more emphasis on winning elections than addressing critical national issues like illegal mining (galamsey).
Mr. Dedey expressed concern over what he described as a clear imbalance in the deployment of resources between political campaigns and efforts to tackle national problems.
“The amount of resources we deploy for elections is phenomenal because the political interest is so strong. But when it comes to dealing with real national challenges like galamsey, the same level of commitment just isn’t there,” he stated.
Citing the recent Akwatia by-election as a prime example, Mr. Dedey highlighted the sharp contrast in urgency and resource allocation.
“Akwatia is just one out of 276 constituencies. Yet for one by-election, 5,000 police officers were deployed, soldiers were present, ministers showed up — the full force of the state was there. But when it comes to the galamsey fight, you don’t see the same show of force, interest, or presence from ministers.”
He lamented what he views as a pattern of self-serving behavior among political leaders, accusing them of putting personal and partisan interests ahead of the public good.
“It appears the politicians are more invested in their own interests than in the national interest,” he remarked.
His comments follow the heavy security deployment during the Akwatia by-election on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 — a vote triggered by the passing of the area’s MP, Ernest Kumi. The election was won by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Lawyer Bernard Bediako Baidoo, who secured 18,199 votes out of 33,819 valid ballots cast.
