President John Dramani Mahama has said that illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has significantly impacted Ghanaian society, with actors across political and traditional leadership involved in the menace.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, March 17, the President said the scale and complexity of the problem make it a difficult to fight galamsey, but government must continue to pursue the fight.
He noted that illegal mining operations are sustained by networks that cut across political parties and local authorities, with operators often shifting allegiances whenever there is a change in government.
“Illegal mining has eaten into the fabric of our society. And I must say that it is not only a menace to our society, but it has involved a circle of traditional rulers, political party appointees and everything,” he said.
“Even when one party changes, those who were running some operation, who went to one party, will go to the next party and say, now that you have come, come and take over this operation and let’s share. We too will be getting small, this is what we are doing. And so I don’t kid myself that we don’t have our own people involved,” he stated
President Mahama admitted that the fight against galamsey is further complicated by resistance from local communities, where anti-illegal mining task forces often face opposition.
He specifically referenced the challenges confronting the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), noting that enforcement teams are sometimes resisted by chiefs, youth groups, and residents in affected areas.
“And the work of the NAIMOS is not easy. They go to a community and the chiefs, the youth and everybody come out and resist them. And so I didn’t kid myself that we will be able to win that fight overnight. But we cannot relent, we must continue,” he noted.
The President also linked the rise in illegal mining to difficulties within the cocoa sector, explaining that low producer prices have driven some farmers to abandon cocoa farming in favour of gold mining.Remove ads
“And it doesn’t help when we have crisis in the cocoa industry. The low price that was paid to cocoa farmers made some of them give up their farms for gold mining,” he added.
He expressed optimism that ongoing reforms, including a new pricing mechanism aimed at ensuring farmers receive up to 70 percent of global cocoa prices, would help reverse the trend.
“We are hoping that it will stabilize with the new automatic mechanism we are coming with so that farmers know that they are getting 70% of the price,” he said.
In addition, President Mahama highlighted logistical constraints affecting the anti-galamsey campaign, particularly the lack of patrol boats to monitor rivers and forest reserves over extended periods.
He disclosed that the government is working with key ministries, including Finance, Defence and Interior, to provide the necessary equipment and resources to strengthen enforcement efforts.
“One of the problems we have is we don’t have patrol boats, especially on our waterways for nine months to continue to patrol the waterways,” he explained.
“So we are working with the minister of finance to be able to maintain that,” he said.
Despite the challenges, the President reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining the fight against illegal mining and protecting the country’s natural resources.
Source:3new