President's galamsey taskforce not enough – Prof. Quartey

Ghanaian Economist, Professor Peter Quartey says the recently established ministerial taskforce on galamsey is not enough without pragmatic steps on the grounds to deal with the menace.

He said the wide spread 'galamsey' operations in the country is the result of a total breakdown of law and order in the small scale mining sector and that requires a concerted effort at all levels and not just the ministerial level.

Speaking on Adom FM and Asempa FM's current affairs program Dea-mehunu, Prof. Quartey lauded the president's ministerial taskforce but said there is need for local authorities, security agencies, traditional rulers and even residents of the galamsey communities to be actively involved in the fight.

He was optimistic that the involvement of the Chinese government will catalyze the effort of government to deal with galamsey, particularly where the Chinese immigrants are involved.

''Most of the people engaging in mining do not come from the local communities but are migrants and ex-convicts who have come for their own selfish gains,'' he said.

Prof. Quartey however observed that local people front for the Chinese and other foreigners who go into galamsey operations, saying that “the fact that these small scale miners have access to arms is a clear sign they have local collaborators and that poses a threat to our economy.”

He said the threat becomes even greater for Ghana because the country is surrounded by countries which have experienced conflict in recent times, exposing Ghana to a spillover from these countries.

The Economist, who is also a lecturer the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana, noted that another threat is poverty and hunger because most illegal miners destroy farm lands, thereby destroying people's livelihoods.