The Communication Director of the United Party (UP), Solomon Owusu, says persons found culpable of illegal mining activities that have destroyed water bodies and livelihoods should face life imprisonment.
Speaking on GTV Breakfast Show monitored by MrImpactful.com on Monday, July 28, 2026, Mr. Owusu said the New Patriotic Party's Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is fortunate under the current legal regime.
"Wontumi is even lucky. If it were the United Party, we have said we would amend the Mining Act and impose life imprisonment, because nothing can be done to compensate for the harm he has caused to millions of families," Mr. Solomon Owusu
His comments come at a time when the Office of the Deputy Attorney General has indicated that 30 cases are ready for prosecution, as part of the government's renewed crackdown on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, and other related offences.
Mr. Owusu argued that the scale of environmental destruction caused by illegal mining has affected millions of Ghanaian families through the pollution of water bodies, destruction of farmlands and its attendant health implications, and therefore requires a more punitive legal response.
According to the United Party, one of its key policy proposals is to amend the Minerals and Mining Act to introduce life imprisonment for persons who engage in mining activities that cause extensive environmental harm.
The United Party has in recent months been vocal on issues of illegal mining and environmental protection, calling for stricter enforcement and stiffer punishment for offenders regardless of political affiliation.
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