Natural Resource Governance Analyst, Richard Kojo Ellimah has questioned the government’s real commitment to decisively deal with illegal small-scale mining, popularly called galamsey in the country.
He argues that the government already has a plethora of institutions at the national, regional, and district levels empowered by numerous legal frameworks to either prevent or punish those “who we all know are complicit in this menace” at any given time.
“If we have all these arrangements already in place and we are seeing the galamsey menace become more endemic each day, then can anyone convince me that the government is ready to deal with this?” he scoffed. Government simply lacks the political will to deal with galamsey.”
Once again, the country is witnessing a wave of heightened revulsion over illegal small-scale mining. Perhaps more than ever before, chiefs, civil society organisations, professional associations, organized labour, and other groups are vehemently expressing their outrage over the government’s palpable lack of action in addressing galamsey.
Nevertheless, Mr. Ellimah is not optimistic that the heightened public outcry over illegal small-scale mining will lead to any meaningful change. He insists, “Ghanaians have demonstrated time and again that they are only good at talking,” and predicts that “this renewed interest will fizzle into thin air in a matter of days,” just like others in the past.
“When an issue arises, we will talk about it for a day or two and then move on to another issue without dealing with the fundamental problems. This cycle will continue, as it has been the norm. I wish I could say this renewed interest will prove to be the final straw that prompts action on galamsey, but…” he told ConnectNews.
“Is this the first time that the Ghana Water Company has cried out for help over the devastating effects of galamsey on their operations? Are we only now realizing that our water bodies have become this murky? How many press conferences have we seen organized?”
“So tell me if the government is ready to do anything about this galamsey. The fact that the President in 2017 put his presidency on the line, and we have since seen an increase in illegal mining, should tell you we are living in a bubble regarding these so-called government efforts to fight galamsey.”
He recalled that civil society organizations, including WACAM and the Third World Network, at the behest of mining communities, have been waging an aggressive campaign against illegal mining for the last two decades.
However, such “selfless efforts have been met with scorn, and leaders of such groups have been described as being against investment and development,” thereby undermining these campaigns.
“I remember when I started advocating against illegal small-scale mining, I came under intense criticism for allegedly being against development. We even struggled to get media coverage for our activities. Those in the capital thought that the fight against galamsey was only for those in mining communities and could not be bothered. But now the reality is that they are equally affected. Farm products from these mining communities find their way to markets all over the country, including Accra, Kumasi, and other big cities. It is the same water treatment plants that supply the big cities. So, if we’re seeing high levels of contamination in our food and water bodies, obviously, we are all affected, regardless of where you are in this country.”
When asked what can be done to stop galamsey, Mr. Ellimah insisted that only the government can put an end to it, if it chooses to muster the needed political will, especially when it’s an election year.
“If the government wants galamsey stopped today, this very minute, it can happen, “he stressed.
Source: 3news.com
