Galamsey fight: See promises given by NPP and NDC from 2012 till date

Richard Osei Boateng Features Sep - 25 - 2024 , 15:48

A major canker that has inflicted Ghana in recent times, continuing to bite hard and portends a disaster for the future is illegal mining, commonly called ‘galamsey’ [a corrupted version of the word gather and sell].

Galamsey [gather and sell] is a real disaster in waiting owing to its debilitating effect on waterbodies and the agricultural lands by the of dangerous chemicals.

Currently, illegal artisanal mining or galamsey has negatively impacted the environment leading to the degradation of a high mass of the land and water bodies.

Specifically, water bodies like River Densu, Ankobra, Pra, and River Butre and many more have been degraded to poisonous, dirty and non appealing water bodies and having a great toll on the health of the indigenes of these areas.

It is on record that as of May 13, 2017, about 60 percent of Ghana’s water bodies had been polluted leaving others in critical condition and thus not surprising that the galamsey discussions, almost every year has trended in recent times, with civil society organisations and labour groups taking the frontline roles in a campaign to end it.

However, the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC), who have governed the nation since January 7, 1993, have promised, keep promising and further attempted several actions and operations which obviously have not come close to eliminating the canker.

Many have attributed the persistence and rise to this canker to several factors including the innefective regulatory oversight and law enforcement, Interference from politicians and community leaders, unemployment rate and more.

Eventhough there exsist a host of legislations such as the Minerals and Mining Act as amended, Minerals Commission Act, 1993 (Act 450), Minerals and Mining (General Services) Regulations, Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (LI 2176), Minerals and Mining (Explosives) Regulations 2012 (LI 2177), the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490) and others, it has become increasingly clear that there exist a wide enforcement gap coupled with a lack of political will.

The purpose of this write-up is to examine what the two political parties have said on ways they intend to solve this menace in their manifestoes from 2012 till date and leave the rest to you readers to judge for themselves.

As the election 2024 is fast approaching and the various contenders carrying across their various programmes to the people, the two parties have successfully launched their various manifiestoes.

NPP 2024

The current governing party hopes to usher in a Golden Age for Ghanaian-Owned Small-Scale Mining for Wealth and Jobs, and promote responsible and sustainable small-scale mining, including addressing illegal small-scale mining by:

making available proven reserves data to small-scale miners to help deal with the associated problem of trial- and-error digging for gold
simplifying the small-scale mining licensing regime
scaling-up the use of the mercury-free gold catcher machine technology, which is less damaging to our environment, and
ensuring strict adherence to our mining laws and regulations to prevent illegal and improper mining practices, andProtect and preserve our water resources by:
vigorously protecting both surface and underground sources by enforcing the provisions of the Water Use Regulations
reviewing and strengthening the Water Buffer Zone Policy for implementation
protecting transborder water sources, notably the Volta River, and
effectively managing all major water Basins in Ghana

NDC 2024

On the other hand, the largest opposition party, the NDC has also penned down some solutions in its manifiesto as follows;

The next NDC government will wage a ruthless war against the illegal mining menace and roll out an aggressive programme to reclaim our polluted water bodies, degraded lands and devastated forest reserves.
We will:
Place a ban on new mining activities in forest reserves.
Amend the Mineral and Mining Law to impose stiffer punishment on mining in water bodies.
Decentralise regulatory and licensing processes for artisanal miners.
Implement a ‘Tree for Life’ reforestation policy and a Blue Water Initiative to heal and harness the environment by turning areas degraded by illegal mining into economic and ecological recovery hubs.
Resource the geological survey department to prioritise geological investigation as part of a broader strategy to increase Ghana’s stake in its extractive industry.
Set up a novel Ghana Gold Board (GOLDBOD) to regulate the small-scale mining sector. The board will restructure the small-scale mining sector by:
Provide mining support services to the industry, including concession viability, health, safety and efficiency in mining operations, equipment financing, research and standardisation, gold recovery optimisation, and post-mining and land reclamation services.
Compel small-scale miners to undertake skills training in land reclamation techniques as a required component of their operations to minimise their adverse environmental impacts.
Place restrictions on the export of unrefined gold produced by small-scale mining companies in the medium term.
Ensure that the Bank of Ghana’s gold purchasing programme will be backed by a metal leveraging programme with international bullion holders.

NPP 2020

In the 2020 general election, the NPP, which was seeking a second term then for the current President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo highlighted its achievement in the sector upon taking over power in January 2017 as follows;

Over 4,000 artisanal miners trained in improved mining technologies at George Grant University of Mines and Technology (UMAT). Community-based mining concessions have been issued and operating under strict supervision
Placed a moratorium on all small-scale mining. The moratorium was lifted only after implementing a structured, tightly-regulated strategy, the Community Mining Programme (CMP)
Instituted and implemented a stringent enforcement regime – GALAMSTOP – which includes the seizure and destruction of 12,000 “changfan” machines used to mine illegally in riverbeds, as well as the seizure of several excavators
Four thousand five hundred (4,500) indigenes were trained on sustainable mining practices at the George Grant University of Mines and Technology (UMAT). This helped reduce by 90% the number of miners dying in collapsed mining tunnels and pits
Amended the Mining Act to increase the penalties for illegal mining, and prohibit foreign nationals from participating in small-scale mining
Formulated and continue to implement
the Alternative Livelihood Programme in thirty-five (35) severely affected “Galamsey” communities, under which five hundred (500) youth have been trained in vocational and technical skills and provided with start-up tools and equipment. Six hundred and seven (607) other youth are currently undergoing similar training: two hundred and forty (240) in Community Development Institutions, and three hundred and sixty-seven (367) attached to Master Craftsmen through apprenticeship at the local level

NDC 2020

Alternatively, the largest opponent who was ready to fight hard to stop the sitting President Akufo-Addo from a second term, had these promises penned down in their campaign document as follows;

The next NDC Government will;
partner with mining equipment owners to support small-scale miners due to equipment challenges of the small-scale mining sector
establish mini-processing plants in strategic mining locations to support and improve metallurgical recovery of mined ore, leading to increased revenue generation
take stock of existing large-scale mining concessions to make abandoned lands available for small and medium scale mining operations
promote legal and properly regulated and operated medium and small-scale mining to become attractive and well-paid business ventures, creating jobs for the youth
re-issue confiscated legitimate mining licenses to miners
return seized legitimate concessions to their owners”
promote environmentally friendly small-scale and community mining operations
ensure that licensed small-scale mining companies operate strictly in accordance with improved operational procedures to minimize negative environmental impacts
encourage chiefs in mining areas to take an interest in in community mining processes to ensure that the environment is preserved, and local communities benefit from the revenue
link royalty payments to targeted community developmental projects to address the increasing demands by host communities
review the structure of the Mineral Development Fund to ensure that mining communities benefit from social responsibility practices
engage trained earth science graduates, including mining engineers, geological engineers, geomatic engineers, metallurgical engineers and environmental engineers
ensure restoration of water bodies and the reclamation of lands
keep abreast with enhanced technology by promoting the use of industry 4.0 imperatives like robotics, automation and digitization
put an immediate end to the intimidations, victimization, physical attacks and monetary monetary extortions of monitoring teams towards miners”

NPP 2016

The 2016 election was crucial because it led to a change of government from the ruling party to an opposition candidate. In that election also, the two parties have something to say;

The NPP will be environmentally conscious in granting mining leases in order to ensure protection of our environment and its biodiversity
ensuring a positive socio-economic impact of mining on local communities, through appropriate interventions for community development
increasing transparency in the allocation of mineral rights and the utilization of mineral revenues at national and community levels
ensuring that land restoration is undertaken after mining operations come to an end, andSMALL-SCALE MINING
It is NPP’s view that the artisanal, small-scale mining sub-sector needs restructuring so that its activities can take place within guidelines set up under the appropriate regulations.
This will enable small scale miners to work and earn their livelihoods in a regulated, secure, and lawful environment.
By this process, the environment, especially our water bodies, can be protected and degraded land can be reclaimed through tree-planting and reforestation.

NDC 2016

We will:

Pursue the exploitation of our limestone, silica and bauxite reserves;
Initiate the exploration of other industrial minerals to reduce over-dependence on a few industrial minerals;
Support the establishment of additional gold refineries;
Enact a legislative instrument to back the full implementation of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act 900);
Continue to enforce the law stipulating that small-scale mining is reserved for Ghanaians;
Align gold exports to ensure maximum repatriation of foreign exchange back to Ghana;
Establish a jewellery production village and gold market at Tepa in the Ashanti Region in collaboration with the Institute of Jewelry, KNUST;
Introduce a new medium-scale mining category with increased obligations for responsible mining;
Continue to provide the platform for the engagement of major stakeholders to ensure greater harmony and cooperation in mining communities;
Take steps to reclaim degraded lands in mining communities while ensuring the prevention of future degradation across the country;
Implement a system to track heavy-duty equipment (excavators and bulldozers) used in small-scale operations to help identify and arrest illegal miners.

NPP 2012

The 2012 election results led to the first ever Presidential election petition by the major opposition at the time, the NPP at the Supreme Court. Also in their manifestoes, the two major parties had some promises to curb the galamsey menace in particular and mining in general.The NPP said;

Unbridled exploitation of Ghana’s resources poses an environ-mental challenge and a threat to health. The scourge of non-biodegradable plastics, pollution of our beaches and coastal waters, recklessly poor practices of miners, destruction of our water bodies, and poor management of our forest reserves are a source of considerable concern. Over the years, we have destroyed our environment for economic benefit and our vision is to restore and sustain it.
preserve our bio-diversity, restore degraded land, combat ero-sion, protect our rivers and other water bodies, and ensure that the environmental impact of mining and oil extraction in Ghana is carefully mitigated. In line with this, the next NPP government will embark on an ambitious reforestation programme. This will serve the multi-purpose of protecting the environment, creat-ing immediate jobs for our youth and creating future wealth. We will employ the same concept to use waste to generate elec-tricity in Ghana.

NDC 2012

The long-held position of the NDC is that the mining sector has to be re-organized to allow the nation and mining communities speciﬁcally to beneﬁt more from their resources. In consonance with that position, our policies will hinge on:
The amendment of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703 will be completed and implemented to reﬂect the principle of polluter pays as well as UN Conventions and ECOWAS Protocols on mining and the ECOWAS directive on the harmonization of the guiding principles and policies in the Mining Sector;
Provision of a platform for a transparent engagement of major stakeholders to increase harmony in the sector;
Implementation of the regulations for the payment of compensations and guidelines for the use of unutilized mining concessions;
Continued review of the investment regime in the mining sector in order to maximize returns to the state;
Review of the tax regime on other natural resources to ensure better ﬁnancial returns to the state;
Development of other industrial minerals to reduce overdependence on the few traditional minerals and promotion of greater value addition;
Provision of legislative backing for the Minerals Development Fund and review of the royalties’ distribution formula to address the concerns of communities, chiefs and District Assemblies;
Completion of geological exploration in identiﬁed areas for small scale miners to reduce the incidence of illegal small scale mining (galamsey); and
Ensuring transparency in the management of payments, receipts, disbursements and utilization of extractive sector resources in compliance with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI);
Vigorous implementation of the programme to transform galamsey operations into legitimate small scale mining activity on clearly demarcated areas;
Aggressive continuation of the exercise started by Government
to ﬂush out foreigners who have invaded the small-scale mining sector since the sector is reserved for Ghanaians and will continue to be reserved for Ghanaians.

After all these promises, what is the state of our forests and water bodies now despite all these lofty ideas given by these two parties in their campaign documents.

It is also unfortunate that the many interventions and operations launched since 2016 to tackle this albatross on the nation’s neck did also not prove futile.

It is thus not surprising that in September 2024 especially many powered personalities including the Asantehene, the outgoing President of the Ghana Bar Association, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, Civil Society groups and even organised labour have raised concerns amid the intention of the mother labour group to even demonstrate to register their displeasure to the political leaders on the way the issue is being handled.

Additionally it is public knowledge that many experts and renowned individuals have also called for the head of the current Minister for Lands and natural resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor and also for a complete ban on all forms of small scale mining in the country.

All these certainly are geared towards the betterment of the situation or an eventual resolution but are these necessarily needed, to that once and for all elimination of the problem now?

What next ought to be done that we have yet to to do as a nation to wrestle this virus of illegal mining once and for all?