By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Ghana – Madam Abena Osei Asare, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East, has called on the Government to increase budget allocation to combat illegal mining, describing the current allocation as “zero point zero three per cent” of the total budget.
According to the MP, the allocation was “minimal for a threat of this magnitude.”
Commenting on the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on the Floor of Parliament on Tuesday, Madam Osei Asare emphasised that the fight against illegal mining was a matter of survival for Ghanaians.
“Mr Speaker, when something threatens your survival, what are you supposed to do? You are supposed to fight it to make sure you survive,” she said.
The Atiwa East MP expressed disappointment with the government’s allocation of 150 million Cedis to combat illegal mining, compared to the ministry’s GH¢2.1 billion budget.
“Mr Speaker, this is a war, and if it’s a war, then this budget is telling us that it’s like we are in a battlefield, asking for crumbs to fight and make sure you win,” the MP said.
Madam Osei Asare proposed that the government established an emergency programme with real financing to address the issue, utilizing existing institutions such as the Public Procurement Authority to ensure value for money, adding that “we need to rise above this; it’s hurting us, it’s frightening our food, and it’s killing us,” she said.
On Thursday, November 13, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Finance Minister, presented the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on the theme: “Resetting for Growth, Jobs, and Economic Transformation.”
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah