Galamsey, necessary evil

Parents, friends, and acquaintances continue to suffer the effects of unemployment. The graduate spends years simply eating from his mother's pot while his father provides him with GHC20 everyday. Such a graduate will eventually become frustrated and will resort to everything, including galamsey and thievery. They believe that life is what you make of it.

Yes, over the years, galamsey has done more harm to the country than good. We can act as though we understand who is in charge of this destructive expedition that keeps wreaking devastation on aquatic lives. Everyday, the situation for indigenous people gets worse. Since the exercise is necessary evil, the less said about it, the better.

Furthermore, we all conceal ourselves under a certain goal to combat this scourge only to encourage some alleged members of the military and police units to facilitate the easy operation of illegal miners.

I don't want to think that the country is sick. However, we should be reminded that there is a purposeful effort to contaminate our water resources and make our farmlands infertile, thereby contributing to the scarcity of food items in the short and long run. I assure you that if the combatants themselves are the real culprits, we cannot fight galamsey. Like I hinted early on, some people view galamsey as a necessary evil, as unemployment has made many youth leverage the opportunities galamsey has provided over a decade.

Is there a method to combat this unavoidable evil without the typical partisanship and the traditional blame game ploys?

Galamsey can only be curbed if the perpetrators are not fighters and we initiate a more stringent measure aimed at making galamsey a no-go area for individuals involved in this behavior that undermines the welfare of affected communities in the country. We must crack the whip with Ghana in mind. That way, no official or chief will be exonerated when found culpable. Until then, no articles, no stakeholder engagements, no military force can stop galamsey in Ghana.

Stephen Bernard Donkor

Student, Ghana Institute of Journalism

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