The Executive Director of the Centre for Social Impact, Richard Alima has described the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama's promise to free jailed galamsey operators as 'unfortunate and dangerous'.

Many Ghanaian small-scale miners, popularly known as galamsey operators, are in prison custody after they were arrested by the government’s special anti-galamsey security taskforce and prosecuted for offences relating to small-scale mining

Mahama interacting with the chiefs and people of Abesewa in the Ahafo Ano South East constituency on Tuesday at the start of his five-day campaign tour of the Ashanti Region, said his administration will give galamsey offenders a second chance to better their lives.

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He added that with careful planning, the mining sector could create about one million jobs for the youth, adding the next NDC government will take advantage of this and implement well-planned policies to develop the mining sector.

But Richard Alima believes it would have been wiser for the aspiring candidate to propose an amendment to the law that would seek the formalizing, proper structuring and growth of the small scale mining industry rather than releasing illegal miners back into the system.

Mr Alima stated that Mr Mahama’s proposal only raises more questions about the way forward when it comes to the fight against galamsey in the country.

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Meanwhile, the NDC flagbearer has urged small-scale miners and their families to be guided accordingly and cast their ballot in his favour on December 7, 2020, to enable the next NDC government to restore justice in the small-scale mining sector and for all Ghanaians to reap its benefits, not just a few card-bearing members of the governing party.