Deal With Those 'Galamsey Chiefs' First, Mr. President!

John Dramani Mahama, Ghana President

It is very intriguing and quite nauseating to hear politicians talk so tough on critical issues imminent to national development when as a matter of fact a big jolt is usually what awaits the entire populace at the end.

Industry players in the mining sector have over the past years expressed concerns about illegal mining activities otherwise known as 'Galamsey' in our local parlance.

This illegal mining is booming like nobody's business in the face of the grave danger the activity itself poses for these miners. A lot of lives have been lost through Galamsey and we shall continue to count the losses if nothing drastic is done about this challenge.

During his visit to the Daboase Water Treatment Plant in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region, President John Mahama assured the security agencies of adequate support to flush out illegal miners across the country;(See: 'Mahama warns 'Galamseyers';Ministry of Information/Ghanaweb.com, 26/02/2013).

President Mahama revealed that he is appalled to see people engaging in galamsey, and especially illegal mining that takes place in or near water bodies. “I am going to support the Security task force working to clear the miners, and I want to warn those foreigners and their local collaborators that we are going to chase them out", President Mahama warned.

President Mahama insisted that “foreigners are not allowed to engage in small-scale mining, warning that law must appropriately deal with any foreigner caught.”

I would like to on this score, commend His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the bold political will to fight the Galamseyers.

Above all, what is befuddling within this context is the complicit role some eminent chiefs within our mining communities play within the whole Galamsey blues.

I have great respect for our traditional rulers but the records must be set at where they ought to be. A lot of these mining community chiefs have shares in most of these illegal operations and they fully back most of these illegal miners to carry out their operations.

Some top chiefs who are even more prominent in the Ghanaian society have backed these illegal miners to carry out their operations. For those of us who hail from the Eastern Region, it is worse over there.

Most of these Galamseyers also go all out to buy the security agencies hence they are allowed to mine in the full glare of ordinary rural folks. A perfect example is Solar Mining based in the Akyem Area led by its Chief Executive Officer, S.O. Lamptey.

This is a very powerful man within the Galamsey game, who moves with a 12-car convoy everyday and has military officers as his body guards.

What is more? He also has smooth cordial relations with top chiefs within the Akyem Area. This man is simply untouchable in the Akyem Area because he has made fortunes out of his illegal galamsey activities and can turn around the whole Akyem Community overnight.

From hindsight, it appears the president has indeed a herculean task ahead because the most influential stakeholders who happen to be the chiefs have been deep-rooted in the Galamsey operations.

It would therefore require a great deal of non-exhibition of giving the law human faces especially when it involves the top guns. They are everywhere and it would take more than a mere political talk to ameliorate the situation or reverse the trend.

I wish President Mahama the very best of luck in the quest to rid our rural areas of Galamsey operations but what the president needs to know which I am sure he is already aware, is the fact that Galamsey is booming and the chiefs are very much complicit than ever in the game.

***Nana Yaw Baafi Beeko, [email protected]***