Participants of the biannual “Achimota Speaks” are calling for an immediate end to galamsey, which they say is devastating the country’s forests and water bodies at an alarming rate.
They believe stringent measures must be implemented to curb this destructive practice.
Organized by the Old Achimotan Association (OAA) on the themed “Ghana’s Death by Galamsey: Who Will Bell the Cat?” It brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss sustainable solutions.
Professor Chris Gordon, Founding Director of Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana, emphasized the importance of adaptable, locally informed solutions, stating, “Solutions are an ongoing process. Not every solution will fit every situation, so we have to get the best fit for any particular community or situation.”
He stressed the need for collaboration with local communities rather than imposing external ideas, as mandates from outside rarely have lasting effects.
“Let us consult them. Let’s find out what they think can work, that they can own. It’s their solution, developed with advice and consultation,” he urged.
Professor Gordon advocated for a shift in government tactics, cautioning against destructive measures like burning excavators, which he called counterproductive.
“By burning, you’re causing more damage to the environment. These are $400,000 machines. Let us use them for something productive rather than destroying them,” he argued.
Mr. Godwin Armah, General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, highlighted the role of community engagement in any successful strategy to combat galamsey.
He noted that previous approaches, such as Operation Vanguard and Operation Halt, had largely failed due to their reliance on coercion rather than local collaboration.
“If the solutions we have tried were good enough, we wouldn’t have this problem now. The problem is only getting worse. We need a different approach because the old approach is not working,” he remarked, calling for continuous dialogue and innovative strategies tailored to each community’s needs.
Awula Serwah, Coordinator of Eco-Conscious, stressed that creating new laws alone wouldn’t solve the ongoing illegal mining crisis; Ghana’s primary issue, she argued, is enforcement.
“You can have laws, but if you are not prepared to enforce them, then the laws are just decorations. Our problem is not the absence of laws but our inability to enforce them,” she lamented.
Awula Serwah urged the government to temporarily ban all forms of mining to allow the development of a roadmap for safe and responsible mining.
“We may have all the beautiful laws, but we won’t be able to enforce them. It’s because we are not able to enforce the laws that people are asking for a pause to small-scale mining. There’s too much destruction happening, and we are not monitoring it,” she explained.
She also pointed out that small-scale mining is often equated with galamsey due to the irresponsible practices associated with it.
Addressing the role of chiefs in illegal mining, the Paramount Chief of Assin Kushea, Ehunaborim Prah Agyensaim VI, highlighted the limitations of chiefs’ authority in stopping galamsey.
“Chiefs don’t have the sort of powers you think they have. Our colonizers left chiefs with more power than they have now,” he explained.
While acknowledging that some traditional leaders are complicit, he called on them to stop supporting illegal mining and instead join efforts to find solutions.
By Jessel Lartey Therson-Cofie
