Nana Effah Opramang III, Chief of Kwahu Obomeng, has stated that Ghana has lost the battle against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
The traditional leader believes that successive governments and their leaders have failed to address this issue because many politicians are involved.
He shared his views during a phone interview on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM’s Nyankonton Mu Nsem program.
“Galamsey is a sad reality hitting us hard, but we’ve lost the fight against it,” he said. “We’ve lost the fight because successive governments have failed to deal with the menace. We have reached a tipping point, and we seem not to have the solutions to end the crisis.”
He lamented that the current approach of flushing out illegal miners has failed and that a change in strategy is needed. As an alternative, he proposed a 24-hour security presence to deal with those involved in the act.
“If you flush out illegal miners and you have no security officials on standby to ensure that these illegal miners are kept out permanently, they will return,” he explained. “That is why I am proposing a 24-hour security system to flush them out permanently.”
When asked if he supports declaring a state of emergency against galamsey, he responded,
“You can declare a state of emergency, but without a 24-hour security system, the illegal miners will continue to remain at post.”
Nana Effah Opramang III warned that without drastic measures, Ghana’s food security, water safety, and natural reserves would be destroyed.
He said the decision to have permanent military cases in the galamsey prone areas with the presence of security officials will certainly help deal with the canker.
“The decision to establish military bases in galamsey areas is a good one. However, we should have a continuous 24-hour military presence at these locations without any break. Soldiers should be permanently stationed there on a rotational shift basis to effectively address the problem. If authorities remain dedicated and the issues are depoliticised, the fight against galamsey can be won.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana