Galamsey, Our Armageddon?
The greatest threat facing our survival as a nation today is no doubt the activities of illegal miners. Many concerned Ghanaians see galamsey, which is the name given to illegal mining, as a dangerous menace that can be compared to slow poison.
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Unless a positive action is taken by us all, with government providing the wherewithal, galamsey is capable of “killing” Ghana softly and slowly.
Today we are all fully awake to the devastating effects of illegal mining throughout the country. Galamsey has brought untold hardship to our rural areas and our folks there who are toiling daily to provide food for those of us living in the cities and big towns.
Very soon it will be our turn to feel the impact of galamsey when there will be no clean water to drink and when our farmlands will be rendered completely unproductive.
To say the least, Ghana is under complete siege. A few hundreds of our people, with foreign collaborators from China, especially, are causing total damage to our environment. All our water bodies, great rivers that have served us for centuries, namely: Pra, Birim, Ankobra, Tano, Densu and tributaries of the Volta have been heavily polluted. These once beautiful rivers with clean water, which have been the source of potable water throughout the ages for all of us, are now an eyesore. They have all turned muddy or brown because of the activities of these illegal miners.
What they are looking for is gold and they are going the extra mile to get it. Apart from looking for gold from these famous rivers, they are also searching for gold on land, turning once arable land into something else.
Situation worsens
Now it has reached a point where these illegal miners are boldly buying cocoa farms and other fertile lands used for agricultural purposes and turning them into new El Dorados, from which only they and their cohorts can benefit and enjoy to their fullest. Yes, they are holding the whole nation of Ghana to ransom.
Galamsey has reached such a level that it is not only the pollution of our water bodies and the degradation of the environment that are causing so much concern to Ghanaians, but there are reports that the illegal miners are now buying houses in some parts of the country and digging under these houses because they claim there is gold under them.
At least I am aware that not quite long ago the Chief of Odumase in the Asante Akyem District of Ashanti, Nana Kofi Antwi II, a good friend of mine, had to cry out to the police to come to his aid to flush out illegal miners who were prospecting for gold under buildings which they have bought.
There are so many questions that one can ask about these illegal miners. Are they simply untouchable? Do they have godfathers who are politically connected and are, therefore, enjoying their protection? What about the Chinese?
What guts do they have to leave their own country where they cannot take the law into their hands and come to another county, thousands of kilometres away, and boldly engage in illegal activities such as galamsey?
Some Chinese nationals don’t appear to have any respect for our laws. They bring in sophisticated equipment from China which they are using (with help from Ghanaians) to destroy our country. How did they bring in the equipment and are they in the country legally? Does it mean the government cannot do anything about the Chinese nationals because of the fear of any reaction from almighty China?
The trump card of the Ghanaians involved in galamsey has been that there are no jobs for them anywhere and if they can make ends meet through galamsey, why should anybody raise on eyebrow? They argue that they have families to take care of and they also have aged parents. If galamsey can make them responsible in caring for their families, why should they not go all out to engage in galamsey?
It seems they do not care about their own country because they are gaining financially from the illegal mining.
Losing votes
It also appears that government has not been able to descend heavily on the operators of galamsey because of what many believe is the fear of government losing the votes of these illegal miners during election. This seems to be the crux of the matter, otherwise why should successive governments refuse to seize the bull by the horn and stop the activities of illegal miners, through legislation and our security agencies?
It is heartwarming to note that during the past few weeks, various organisations, both local and international, government and individuals have come out forcefully to condemn galamsey and proffer solutions to the menace.
This has never happened before. I can see a silver lining in the firmament, which tells me that a final solution is in the offing.
On the occasion of the World Water Day which fell on Wednesday, March 22, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and its stakeholders warned of a possible scarcity of potable water nationwide in the near future if the pollution of water bodies was not addressed.
Painting a picture of a possible bleak future, the GWCL explained that although all the treatment plants in Ghana draw raw water from the various water bodies, the spate of water pollution was approaching alarming levels.
Then on the same day, and at a ceremony in Accra where Kasapreko Company presented 30 cartons of its AWAKE bottled water to the Daily Graphic, the Editor of the paper, Mr Ransford Tetteh, announced that the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) was seeking partnerships with the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and other media organisations to stop illegal mining activities, otherwise called galamsey, in the country.
Mr Tetteh said the time had come for Ghanaians to speak out boldly against the galamsey menace and take concrete action to get the government to use the power of the state to stop illegal miners and their foreign collaborators from further destroying the county’s water bodies and vegetation.
Then also on the same day last week, and at different fora, both the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr John Peter Amenu, and the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, brought hope to many Ghanaians when they spelt out government’s determination to fight the galamsey menace to the end.
According to Mr Amenu, the government has given a three-week ultimatum to all illegal miners to stop their activities or be prepared to face the full rigours of the law.
For his part, Prof. Frimpong Boateng told members of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, who had paid a courtesy call on him, that the government had begun processes to stop illegal mining which was destroying our water bodies in the country at an alarming rate.
He disclosed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo–Addo was unhappy about the illegal mining activities in Ghana’s mining space and had set up a committee to find solutions to the problems.
During that same period, the Vice–President, Alhaji Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, in an address at the opening of the 2017 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Institution of Engineers in Sunyani, stated that a number of key national institutions were currently working together to deal with the menace of illegal mining.
“The whole nation will soon see a massive change in this direction,” he assured Ghanaians.
Then in faraway London at a thanksgiving service to mark the 60th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, the Most Rev. Prof. David Yinkah Sarfo, the Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Anglican Province of West Africa and Archbishop of the Internal Province of Ghana, did not fail to comment on the galamsey situation in Ghana.
“Our environment is nothing to write home about. Through illegal mining we have destroyed our water bodies.The earth is God’s garden, so let us keep it clean for Him.”
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has also added its voice to the call to government to tackle the issue of illegal mining in the country to protect the environment and save lives.
With all the foregoing, Ghanaians are waiting, eagerly, to see the final onslaught on galamsey to save our dear country for future generations.