Mr President, Call A National Summit On Galamsey As A Matter Of Urgency

I called upon the President of the republic, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo as a matter of urgency, to call for a national summit to discuss issues relating to galamsey and its effect on our water bodies with the view to finding a lasting solution to it. The discussion on our national survival that has become a topical conversation in every corner of our society is the effect of the galamsey on our body waters. The situation has become so dire that recognize bodies both in the country and outside are for the first time, coming together and ultimatums have been given to the government to end it otherwise, according to organized labor, there will be a labor strike. Never have there been such seriousness and more attention given to this issue than the current open talk and discussion on the effects of this illegal practice which many people have looked the other way in time past. Some even say, it is too little too late, but we know that it is better late than never. The Joy News channel should be commended for exposing this ill and social canker. The responds of the Akuffo Addo government to those ultimatums and threats is nothing to write home about. Setting up a ministerial committee to fight this issue is not new. We had many task forces set up in the past to fight this very social ill all to no avail. The reason why it all failed was that, it was too partisan and the “big fishes” were left off the hook while the small boys who were just there to make a living were threatened and in some cases arrested and that is the reason why all those attempts failed. Another reason for the failure of those exercises was that, some politicians were caught in the act and nothing was done to them and this gave the license for others to do it with impunity. When the excavator belonging to Kate Gyamfuwaa was burnt, that brought an end to that exercise.

The silence of the President in the midst of the numerous calls by identifiable bodies is a grave concern. Our constitution entrusts all the minerals of the country in the President so many were expecting that he will come out with his “Fellow Ghanaians” broadcast as was done during the covid era. To some of us, this problem is more serious and more critical than the covid pandemic. There should be some level of leadership whenever a society is in crises. We understand that we are in the election season and for fear of losing votes, he doesn’t want to cause the displeasure of the voters in the galamsey areas. Pushing the problem to the ministerial committee at this point is a sign of weak leadership on the part of the President. Of late, the President has been seen as a lame duck president and his actions and inactions as far as the fight against this social evil is concern is another tea in his cup. This is a President who said he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in fighting galamsey. His remarks when Akonta mining was caught mining in a restricted area confirm the suspicion of many that because of politics, he doesn’t want to cut the hand that feeds him.

Some of our Chiefs have not helped in the fight against this galamsey. Are we saying that political and security agency leaders in areas where these rivers have been destroyed don’t know that people are illegally mining in the water bodies? Even some of these chiefs are deeply involved in the act. In some arrears, these destructions are being done along major highways and these people pass by every day. Recently, the Asantehene did the right thing when he destooled some chiefs under him who were involved in galamsey. We want to see more of such actions. Many chiefs in the country have been in the forefront in the fight and their actions have prevented their water bodies from being destroyed. One of such chiefs is the Omanhene of the Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu. A visit to his area shows that not a single river has been destroyed by these illegal miners. He has prevented this act in his traditional area. By extension, the destruction of water bodies in the Bono area is minimal if not non- existent. All the Chiefs in those areas, who have stood for their people and have protected their rivers needs commendation. For those of us outside Ghana and can’t stop eating our dry fish, sooner than later, we will not get it because the EU and other countries will ban the importation of our dry fish because of the mercury and other chemicals in them.

The main reason why this fight has not been successful is the political nature of the fight. Because of the stupid and unnecessary polarization of our society along the NPP / NDC lines, national issues are also discussed along the same lines and it is always a blame game. The strategies used in the fight by the government are always “outmoded at birth”. I was surprised to the core when an adult sane person made a comment that our waters bodies were milkier during the NDC era than the NPP time. Is that how low we can go when discussing national issues? Just a few days ago, the Spokesperson for the Bawumiah campaign, Mirracle Aboagye also made a statement that, “we (the NPP) inherited the galamsey canker from the NDC”. Can’t we for once, set aside this political division that has not brought anything good to our country and discuss national issues objectively? So if you inherited a problem from a previous government, does it mean that you do nothing to solve it? What then is the way forward when it comes to fighting this social canker? I believe that the time has come for us to come out hash when it comes to proposing lasting solution to the problem.

The first thing we need to do and do it now is that, the President should as matter of urgency in the interest of the country’s security, call for a national summit on galamsey which will bring all stakeholders to the table to discuss the problem and a lasting solution devoid of politics sought. This conference should bring psychologists, social workers, politicians, traditional leaders, the youth and all individuals and organizations that matter together to discuss the issue and find a lasting solution to the problem. A word of caution here is that for once, we should not bring this NPP / NDC nonsense to the table. Politicians from all parties and experts and technical persons should be brought to the table and it shouldn’t be a blame game about who started what, but rather, we should put aside our political lenses and think of mother Ghana. This suggested conference should be held as a matter of urgency because time is not on our side in this fight.

Also, I suggest that if we want to be taken seriously in this fight, we should dismiss all municipal or metropolitan chief executives whose river bodies have been destroyed by these illegal miners. I find it difficult to comprehend that an MCE representing the government in the area will not act and look the other way to the point where their people don’t have clean water to drink. These people have cars and every resource needed to monitor the situation and prevent the occurrence of this menace in their areas of control and yet they do nothing about it. It is even alleged that some of these officials are deep neck in the galamsey. There is a Disec (the District Security committee) and every member of that body should bow their heads down in shame. All those political appointees and security heads in those areas should be fired for their inactions.

Similarly, if we want to make inroads in this fight, we should as a matter of urgency repeal the Environmental (mining and forest reserve) regulation 2022 (LI 2462) which has been described as “one of the backward legislation in the country”. This LI allows mining in the forest reserves, though under certain conditions. This is why I blame the NDC members of parliament who sat in the parliament and allow this LI to be passed. I don’t know why in the first place, people even thought of this legislative instrument. A forest reserve is set aside for a purpose and it is only leaders who are myopic, short sighted and has parochial interest who will even think of allowing people to mine within such reserved areas. Only nation wreckers will make laws to destroy an asset that has been kept for years. Let’s do away with this unwanted instrument and our forest reserves will be protected.

I also call for the termination of all permits that allow some so-called small scale miners to mine in certain areas. The truth of the matter is that, these people after obtaining their permits go beyond their boundaries of operations and mine near water bodies. Illegal miners blatantly ignore regulations and prospecting license is being misused. We cannot fight and win this fight without looking at the operations of the Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Commission and the Forestry Commission. These regulatory bodies have let the people of Ghana down. Their actions and inactions have contributed to a large extend to the environmental devastation and the subsequent destruction of our water bodies. Their operations should be reviewed with a strong monitoring departments being put in place. It is even alleged that with the current state of these destruction, mining permits are still being issued to individuals and companies. I urge the President to show some leadership in his dying moments as a President by calling for a national summit to discuss this destruction of such a greater magnitude which if not addressed now will lead to a national security tsunami of greater dimension and only God knows what it will bring along with it. WAKE UP, MR. PRESIDENT, NOW.

Augustine Boahen
Calgary, Canada
Email: [email protected]