During the 2024 presidential election campaign, President John Dramani Mahama, the then presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised to release all jailed illegal miners, arguing that those imprisoned were merely workers or ‘small fishes’, while the real masterminds behind the galamsey operations remained free.
Nearly ten months into his administration, however, that promise remains unfulfilled. The Chronicle is not surprised. This has long been the strategy of Ghanaian politicians to make grand promises to win votes, only to abandon them once power is secured.
That disappointment notwithstanding, The Chronicle believes President Mahama was right when, in opposition, he asserted that the real culprits behind illegal mining are the wealthy individuals who bankroll operations and send young men into the forests to dig for gold. Long before the president made that statement, this paper had consistently used this editorial column to raise the same concern.
We have argued and continue to argue that the kind of sophisticated machinery used in these destructive mining operations could not possibly be owned by the poor young men arrested in the bush. It defies logic to believe that these miners, many of whom can barely make ends meet, could raise over US$200,000 to purchase a single excavator.
Yet, because we failed to accept this reality as a nation, our security agencies have continued arresting the small miners while their financiers remain untouchable. This failure to pursue the real culprits was a major reason the Akufo-Addo administration struggled to curb the galamsey menace. Sadly, despite recognising the problem while in opposition, President Mahama has so far failed to act decisively, even though he now wields the power to do so.
As we write this piece, anti-illegal mining task forces are back in the forests, chasing illegal miners who continue to pollute our rivers and destroy our forests with reckless abandon. While these efforts may have intensified in recent weeks, it remains the same story — the poor workers are arrested, while the tycoons stay in their air-conditioned homes in Accra, Kumasi and other major cities orchestrating the destruction from afar.
Indeed, Mahama’s own “prophecy” appears to have come true: the real culprits behind this environmental terrorism are the business moguls financing the galamsey networks.
The Chronicle, therefore, urges the security agencies to use all lawful means to compel the arrested miners to disclose the identities of their sponsors. If they refuse to cooperate, appropriate interrogatory methods should be employed to extract the truth.
Once these financiers are identified, they must be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed for their role in destroying Ghana’s water bodies and natural resources. Such a bold move would deter others who may be contemplating investing in illegal mining operations. We trust that President Mahama, who made this very argument in opposition, will act on it, now that he is in power.
Illegal mining remains one of the gravest threats to Ghana’s national security and economic stability. The President must, therefore, take a firm action against the middlemen and financiers responsible for this destruction.
Already, the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod) has announced that the country has exported over US$8 billion worth of gold within just ten months. But if the galamsey menace persists, Ghana risks facing sanctions. The European Union or the United States could impose a ban on gold imports from Ghana, a move that would severely cripple our foreign exchange inflows and weaken the cedi.
President Mahama is surely aware of these risks. He must, therefore, act swiftly and decisively against the tycoons behind galamsey. No one should be shielded, no matter how powerful or well-connected they may be.
We rest our case for now, but we shall surely return to this issue again.
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