Youth involved in galamsey learning from leaders’ act of destroying the country for wealth — Sulemana Braimah

Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has voiced his concerns about the country’s ongoing battle against illegal mining, also known as galamsey.

Ghana’s galamsey crisis has drawn widespread attention in recent years, with efforts to halt the destruction of the country’s forests and water bodies falling short.

In a social media post on Friday, October 11, Braimah argued that young people engaged in galamsey have been influenced by the example set by political leaders who prioritize personal wealth over the country’s wellbeing.

“I don’t support galamsey & we must stop it,” Braimah wrote. “But the truth about the menace is that our youth, who are mostly involved in Galamsey, have only sadly learnt from our leaders that it’s OK to amass wealth by all means, even if it means destroying the country.”

Mr. Braimah’s remarks come amid growing concerns about the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining and the government’s repeated failures to curb the practice.

He attributed the persistence of galamsey to a lack of accountability among those in power, who have created a culture of impunity that the youth are mimicking.

“What is also true is that the bad, corrupt leaders can’t force the youth not to behave like them. Galamsey is the consequence of the wanton stealing and abuse of state resources by our leaders over the years, that has rendered our youth hopeless,” he continued.

Mr. Braimah emphasized that this failure is a result of the moral decay at the top levels of leadership, noting that many of those in power have been more focused on personal enrichment than national development.

“How do you stop others from destroying the country when you are engaged in even much more destruction of the nation?” he questioned, pointing to laws passed by government officials that allow mining in forest reserves. “Isn’t it our leaders who passed the law to allow our forest reserves to be mined and destroyed?”

The MFWA boss also criticized the government’s extravagant spending in the face of national hardship, using President Akufo-Addo’s alleged use of luxurious chartered jets and the controversial National Cathedral project as examples.

He argued that such actions send a dangerous message to the country’s youth, who have been left jobless and hopeless.

“When the President of a poor nation like ours decides to be flying luxurious chartered jets and spends $58 million in digging a hole in the name of a National Cathedral, while the masses are suffering and the youth are left on the streets without jobs, what do you expect?” he questioned.