President John Dramani Mahama, has stated emphatically that the threat posed by illegal mining, sometimes referred to as galamsey, has had a substantial impact on Ghanaian culture and involves both traditional and political authorities.
During a meeting with Organized Labor at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, March 17, the President stated that although fighting galamsey is challenging due to its size and complexity, the government must keep up the fight.
He pointed out that networks that cut across political parties and local authorities support illicit mining operations, with operators frequently switching 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 acknowledged that local populations’ hostility to anti-illegal mining task teams makes the battle against galamsey even more difficult.
He notably mentioned the difficulties facing the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), pointing out that chiefs, youth organizations, and locals in impacted areas occasionally oppose enforcement teams.
“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.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
