Your Excellency,
I write to respectfully inform you that I completely disagree with you on your appeal to the Chiefs in the mining areas, concerning their support for the government’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. I can confidently tell you that these Chiefs will never take any action because they are already aware and some connive with the galamseyers on their respective lands.
Please, when you met the Chiefs, did you enquire from them about how the galamseyers get access to their lands to operate? Do the Chiefs allocate the lands to the galamseyers? Do the Chiefs report the illegal miners to the law enforcement agencies? Do the Chiefs collect money from the galamseyers? Do the Chiefs collect a certain percentage of the production output from the galamseyers? Please find out from them.
Your Excellency, I would like to remind you that Chiefs don’t have the state power to combat galamsey, but you have all the powers in Ghana that can be applied without fear or favour. Also, solving the galamsey problem was one of the key reasons that Ghanaians voted massively for you, after we realized that President Akufo-Addo’s solution didn’t work. Unfortunately, Ghanaians haven’t witnessed any significant improvement in your galamsey fight since you assumed office. The water bodies continue to be polluted and silted at their worst stages.
I must be honest with you: using the military to fight illegal miners alone won’t solve the problem. The fact remains that both the licensed small-scale miners and the unlicensed illegal miners (galamseyers) both pollute the rivers and degrade the lands. Since independence in 1957 to date, no government, including this administration, has come up with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that the miners can follow to ensure truly responsible mining activities, where the miners can operate without polluting water bodies and protect the lands.
With the current approach used by your administration, you can arrest all illegal miners (galamseyers), but the problem will still remain because the licensed small-scale miners will still pollute the water bodies and degrade the lands. This approach failed the NPP government; it has failed you since you won power, and it will continue to fail you if you don’t change the strategy and the approach. How can we practice the same wrongful strategy and expect different results? This is just a heads-up.
Let’s not forget that the previous administration tackled the problem, using a similar NAIMOS approach, including Operations Vanguard, Operations Halt 1, 2 & 3, and Galamstop. Again, in 2022, the previous government initiated the River Wardens, similar to the Blue Water Guards, but it didn’t work because of poor implementation. I am surprised that this government is still applying the same failed solutions, instead of considering a technical approach that will enable the miners to operate without polluting water bodies with minimal land disturbance.
Your Excellency, lots of Ghanaians are disappointed in you as the President about how the galamsey matters are handled under your watch, because you presented a fine manifesto to convince us. It’s sad that this issue of national concern demands huge sums of money, but it looks like your budgetary allocations disregard the importance of addressing this galamsey problem. If the Lands Minister needs US$10 billion and the Finance Minister allocates US$12.5 million, approximately 0.13% (not even 0.5% or 1%), then there is a problem, and it indicates unwillingness to address the problem.
Furthermore, Goldbod’s functions state clearly that part of the proceeds would be used to support responsible mining across the country, in collaboration with the Ministry responsible for Mines. Goldbod receives over 80% of its gold from the artisanal and small-scale miners, helping immensely in the stabilization of the economy, but it is not an institution mandated to address mining issues. In my humble opinion, it’s time Goldbod allocates money to the Lands & Natural Resources Ministry to help address the galamsey issues from a technical perspective, instead of mandating itself to execute mining projects.
My dear Uncle and President, I would like to crave your indulgence: you have only until next year, 2027, to fulfil your galamsey solution promise to Ghanaians and the world; nobody will listen to any further promise on mining from the NDC party in 2028. You still have a few months to prove yourself, so please take action now by stopping the politicisation, adopting a technical solution, and committing financial resources for the Lands Minister to work. Thank you.