'I will die with integrity than be corrupted by galamsey' – Lands Minister

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has declared an unwavering commitment to fighting illegal mining in the country with integrity.

“I would choose to fight with integrity and die than be corrupted in this dangerous work that will destroy all of us. And that is the pledge we have for the people of Ghana,” he said.

He was speaking to journalists after a 16-kilometre journey on the Ankobra River on Thursday, as part of his working visit to illegal mining sites in the Western Region.

“We are going to continue. We will not waver, we will not stop,” the Minister stated.

On operational gains, Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said the fight was against powerful interests.

“And this is what is important to know: the machines we’ve destroyed, the excavators we’ve seized those behind them are powerful forces hiding in the dark. Our next phase is continuing to fish them out. We are going to continue to fight all the way – those sponsors, those financiers – until we win this fight,” he said.

He commended personnel of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) for their tactical and results-oriented operations being undertaken jointly with the Navy Special Forces under “Operation Water Shield”.

“I am really grateful for the work you and your team are doing, and to let you know that we are very proud of what you’re doing. May you continue to do what you’re doing to make us see the progress,” he told the officers.

“The people of Ghana are with you. They see what you are doing. And we are not stopping. They know how these rivers looked two years ago, and they know how they look now.

If we are able to remove 3,000 changfan machines within this short period, if we are able to make over 300 arrests just on river bodies and destroy all these makeshift equipment — you know what? It gives us hope that we are on the right course,” he added.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said he was impressed with the progress on the Ankobra.

“If you had visited the Ankobra in the last one year, the whole river was basically a workshop where changfan machines were being manufactured left and right and were all over the river body. But today, through all the mileage we’ve covered, the Ankobra is completely cleared of changfan machines and other makeshift equipment,” he noted.

“I am reliably informed that we have close to 3,000 machines that have been cleared, not only on the Ankobra, but also on the Offin and other rivers. Over 237 arrests, with 144 of them being foreign nationals.

It clearly shows that we are turning the corner. We are using more intelligence-led operations. We are being very intentional about these operations, and the results are showing. We have shifted from sporadic raids to permanent deployments that are actually showing results,” he said.

He dismissed claims that no progress was being made.

“If you have followed this very difficult work in the last close to two years, you would not be sitting on any TV in Accra saying we are not making progress against illegal mining. In fact, we are making substantial progress. You have to simply come to the Ankobra and look at what it looked like last year and today it is clear. We have not gotten to the point where we want to see the river blue, but I think we’ve made great progress in clearing all the changfan machines and the thugs that were wielding guns — they are all gone.”

“Today, we don’t see thugs along the Ankobra pointing guns at security forces, because they know they will pay a price,” he added, commending Col. Appiah and his team for the collaboration with the Special Forces.

On political will, the Minister said: “The President has told me to inform you that he is very, very interested in what you are doing, and he is rooting for us to succeed.”

He noted a positive shift among the youth previously engaged in illegal mining.

“A lot of the young people that were here last year have all moved into cooperative mining and joined small-scale mining programmes. We have combined training, building capacity, and showing these young people that there’s a better way of looking for gold. You can look for gold without destroying our water bodies and forests. You can look for gold responsibly and sustainably. And that is the future we are looking for.”

“So, I think the combination of initiatives we’ve taken is showing results. We are not where we want to be, but if you ask me what we have achieved against what we inherited, I can tell you that Ankobra is an example.”

“Today, Ankobra is very clear and smooth, and we can sail without any obstruction. It is clear we are winning this fight. And we believe the people of Ghana are with us. The road ahead is not easy. It also requires us to rededicate ourselves to fight this fight with integrity,” he noted.