2024 Election: NPP labels Mahama’s AI galamsey policy as a ‘vote-seeking gimmick’

Richard Ahiagbah, the director of communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has written off National Democratic Congress flagbearer John Dramani Mahama’s promise to use artificial intelligence (AI) to fight against galamsey, or illegal mining, as mere political posturing ahead of the general elections on December 7.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Ahiagbah criticized Mahama’s policy, claiming that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would be unlikely to successfully address the matter if Mahama were to win the presidency again since the party had a history of endorsing galamsey practices.

Ahiagbah wrote in a post, “The NDC are promoters of glamsey. Therefore, H.E Mahama’s promise to use AI powered plan to combat galamsey is a vote-seeking gimmick. Galamsy is an existential problem that requires inputs from all strata of society to combat. Resolving the galamsey menace is impossible with H.E John Mahama and the NDC because they are promoters and beneficiaries of galamsey.”

He cited examples such as a 2020 video in which Kwaku Boahen, the NDC’s deputy communications officer at the time, was purportedly promising voters in mining regions favorable circumstances for galamsey operations. Ahiagbah further cited Mahama’s promise to free galamsey convicts made at a campaign rally as proof of the NDC’s alleged endorsement of illegal mining.

During a speech at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani for the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining, Mr. Mahama had presented his AI-driven approach to combat galamsey. His goal was to use artificial intelligence (AI) to track out and keep an eye on galamsey operations while enforcing environmental laws on the small-scale mining industry.

John Dramani Mahama is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He is the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress for 2024 general elections which would be held on December 7th.