President John Dramani Mahama has expressed his unflinching commitment to eradicating the scourge of illegal mining, known as galamsey, which has been devastating Ghana’s water bodies, farmlands, and forest reserves.
Despite acknowledging that the fight against galamsey is a protracted process that won’t yield immediate results, President Mahama outlined several measures being implemented to combat the problem.
The government has introduced a registration and tracking system for excavators, requiring owners to be identified and held accountable if their machines are found in forest reserves.
A geofencing policy has also been implemented to monitor excavator movements and enable swift action.
Furthermore, over a thousand Blue Water Guards have been deployed to protect major river bodies, including the Ankobra, Pra, and Birim rivers.
“We need a substantially bigger budget than we currently have to be able to win this war,” President Mahama emphasized, highlighting the need for increased funding to sustain the fight against galamsey.
He also urged law enforcement to focus on targeting the masterminds behind illegal mining networks, rather than just arresting young people working on the ground.
“Most of those arrested are young people looking for a livelihood. The ones who run these operations, the ‘kingpins,’ are the ones we must be arresting and prosecuting,” he insisted. “If countries like Chile have been able to formalize 90 percent of their small-scale gold mining, then Ghana can also achieve the same.”
The NDC administration is exploring international best practices and plans to adopt advanced technologies like artificial intelligence mapping and mercury-free gold processing techniques to promote responsible mining.
President Mahama also highlighted efforts to reclaim degraded lands and detoxify rivers, disclosing promising results from pilot projects using tree species to regenerate mined lands.
“While fighting the menace, we should also adopt new technologies that protect our environment,” he said. “It is not enough to stop illegal miners; we must reclaim the degraded lands and detoxify our rivers.”
He called on citizens, civil society, and the media to sustain their advocacy and pressure, saying, “Continue to put our feet to the fire. That will encourage us to work harder and to ensure we win this battle for Ghana’s future.”
Dismissing suggestions that he or his administration benefit from illegal mining activities, President Mahama said, “I don’t gain anything from galamsey. I am not personally involved in it, and I have no interest in it continuing.”
He expressed commitment to handing over an environment as beautiful as the one their forefathers gave them to future generations.
