Did president Akufo-Addo fail in the fight against galamsey?

The alarming rise of galamsey (illegal mining) activities in Ghana is causing irreparable damage to our water bodies and environment. The unregulated mining activities are not only polluting our rivers, lakes, and streams but also destroying our ecosystems and posing serious health risks to communities.

The devastating impact of galamsey on our environment which includes: chemicals and heavy metals used in mining are contaminating our water sources, making them undrinkable and harmful to aquatic life, deforestation and land degradation, health risks exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals is putting communities at risk of serious health problems, including cancer, kidney damage, and respiratory issues.

Institute of Climate and Coastal Environment Protection Ghana (ICCEP GHANA), non-governmental network established to protect and preserve coastal environments through cutting-edge research, education, and community engagement, mitigating the impacts of climate change, try to access the performance of governments commitment on the fight against this deadly canker of galamsey by analyzing few reports from some media platforms.

On April 2020, Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has named some top government officials as being engaged in the illegal mining canker, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ published on myjoyonline.com.

The renowned professor who served under President Akufo-Addo during his first term insisted that the rot goes as high as the government seat, Jubilee House, later the president tasked the police to investigate the allegations but a 36-page document written by Prof. Boateng addressed to the president, the Chief of Staff, and the police trends on the social media and in that report, the former minister stated that some-officials-at-presidency-currently-involved-in-galamsey

“I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the national to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers, or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them.’ Also “there are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace, “excerpts of the document said.

The former minister also accused a former NPP MP in the Ashanti Region of selling illegally acquired concessions at GH¢200,000 each.

Later, after the Attorney General and minister of Justices concluded its review of the docket submitted by the police on the allegations contained in a 36-page document written and signed by Professor Frimpong Boateng described it as empty.

Persons cited in the report as being involved in illegal mining activities were Laud Commey, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, Frank Asiedu Bekoe a.k.a. Protozoa, Joseph Albert Quarm, Charles Owusu, the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Captain (Rtd.) Edmund Kojo Koda, Donald Entsuah and an unnamed former Member of Parliament for Wassa East Constituency.

Three individuals – Seth Mantey, John Ofori Atta and Ekow Ewusi were alleged to be involved in the sale of excavators, whilst Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Kwaku Baako Jnr are said to have done acts which directly or indirectly inhibited the Professor in his fight against illegal mining.

The Attorney General’s advice dated September 12, 2023, advised the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to drop the allegations against most of the persons named in the report, as there was no evidence to support the allegations against them.

Also it was alleged that the secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) Hon. Charsle Bisiew also involved in the galamsey and was caught in video.

In 2017, President Akufo-Addo made a declaration putting his presidency on the line in the fight against illegal mining and launched a joint police and military taskforce named 'Operation Vanguard' to end the menace and sadly the end result was the lynching of Major Maxwell Mahama till death may his soul rest in peace.

It was during the launch that the President made his famous statement, “I am prepared to put my presidency on the line on this matter.”

On October 21, 2023 Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North Constituency, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, has told Attorney-General (A-G) Godfred Dame that it is not enough to conclude that there is no evidence of officials engaged in illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey).

He asked the A-G to go a step further to investigate the allegation that the government officials are neck deep in galamsey because available videos are there to assist with the investigations.

The founder of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, has expressed frustration over the lack of urgency in addressing the devastating impact of illegal mining, also known as “galamsey,” on Ghana’s water bodies. A campaign which he led media practioners across the country embarked on some years ago.

This issue of galamsey now got the attention of many Ghanaians since its causing more harm than good.

On 15 June 2024 on Joy news, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, says President Akufo-Addo's statement about putting his presidency on the line in the fight against 'galamsey' was merely a tactic to gain favor from the public.

According to him, when the president made such comments, the country was grappling with the menace, so he saw it as a good opportunity to begin his tenure on a positive note.

Sulemana Braimah also noted that, beyond the report, a visit to forest reserves showed significant environmental devastation. He believes this raises questions about how the same individual who put his presidency on the line remains in office while these activities persist.

Further, he said most mining in forest reserves cannot happen without the president's permission.

A recent report by The Fourth Estate has also named some government officials and politically exposed persons who are seeking permits to mine in Ghana's forest reserves including protected areas.

The Ghana Water Company has also announced that it is struggling to treat water for several communities due to the negative impact of Galamsey on Rivers that are treated for distribution.

The GWCL and others have warned that Ghana may soon be compelled to start importing water on a large scale if nothing is done about the Galamsey menace.

Meanwhile, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has issued an ultimatum to government, threatening a nationwide strike by the end of September 2024 if a total ban on illegal mining aka “galamsey,” is not imposed.

In a strongly worded statement, UTAG criticized state-led efforts to combat illegal mining, or “galamsey,” describing them as “failed and corruption-infested militarized battles.”

The Association lamented the severe damage caused by illegal mining activities, including the destruction of over 2.5 million hectares of forest cover, a 35% rise in respiratory diseases in mining areas, and a projected cost of $2.3 billion annually to the economy.

More so, the health workers associations are not excluded from the fight GMA, GRNMA, etc.

A week ago, Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Mr. Whittal expressed deep disappointment with the President’s failure to uphold his promise to combat the destructive practice, which has devastated Ghana’s environment and poses serious health risks.

He emphasized that the President’s broken promise has far-reaching consequences, especially given the severe impact on public health.

On October 2022 A meeting between President Akufo-Addo, leadership of the National House of Chiefs and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to discuss the illegal mining menace took place in Kumasi.

The discussions at the meeting were to provide the President and the stakeholders the opportunity to find realistic means of dealing with the problem, which is destroying water bodies and lands in parts of the country.

From the above, it is clear that, government failed to fight the menace especially hearing the vice presidential candidate of the NPP saying he will return all cease excavators to the illegal miners to continue with their galamsey and also by;

1. Lack of effective enforcement: Corruption and political interference have hindered the enforcement of anti-galamsey laws and regulations i.e. failure of the Attorney General to take legal actions against those mentioned in the report.

2. Inconsistent policies: Frequent changes in government strategies have created uncertainty and confusion, undermining efforts to combat galamsey.

3. Corruption and complicity: Allegations of corruption and complicity among government officials, security personnel, and traditional authorities have hindered efforts to combat galamsey.

4. Limited alternative livelihoods: The government's failure to provide viable alternative livelihoods for those engaged in galamsey has made it difficult to convince them to stop.

5. Lack of coordination: Poor coordination among government agencies, security forces, and stakeholders has hindered a unified response to galamsey and Political will, some argue that the government's political will to combat galamsey has been inconsistent, with some officials prioritizing political gains over enforcement.

We urge the government to take immediate action to:

- arrest and prosecutes politicians and government officials involved in perpetuating galamsey activities for their roles in facilitating environmental destruction and endangering public health.

- Immediate action be taken to enforce laws and regulations on mining activities.

- Alternative livelihoods be provided for galamsey operators to ensure a sustainable future.

- Investments be made in sustainable environmental practices to restore damaged ecosystems.

- Sack the land and natural resource minister and his deputies with environment, science and technology minister.

The government must take responsibility for protecting our environment and holding accountable those who prioritize personal gain over the well-being of our nation.

Together, we can protect our environment and ensure a healthy future for generations to come.

#StopGalamseyNow
Reference: msyjoyonline.com

Signed Emmanuel Gameli Dovia II Executive Director II ICCEP GHANA +233(0) 242023440