Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the Presidential Candidate for the Alliance for Revolutionary Change, has outlined a detailed strategy to tackle illegal mining, or galamsey, with an emphasis on demobilizing the equipment used in these operations.
During a speech at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on October 1, 2024, Kyerematen criticized the government’s current method of seizing and burning excavators, describing it as “ineffective and nonsensical.” He argued that burning equipment does not offer a sustainable solution and instead advocated for a more structured approach involving the military.
Kyerematen’s plan, part of his 10-point blueprint to address galamsey, proposes a one-year nationwide ban on small-scale and community mining to enable better regulation and environmental restoration. He emphasized the importance of a military-led effort to systematically demobilize, store, and preserve mining machinery, rather than destroying it.
“The demobilisation of all machinery and equipment used in small-scale and community mining must be supervised by the military,” Kyerematen explained. “First, you need to keep them under inventory, then store them properly, and finally preserve them. Burning equipment doesn’t make sense; after one year, they will be out of use.”
This initiative is aimed at providing a more sustainable, long-term solution to illegal mining and its environmental impact in Ghana.
