President John Mahama says the government is working to address the economic challenges driving young people into illegal mining, as part of efforts to provide alternative livelihoods and curb the menace.
He says the implementation of the New Economy Agenda by his government, which seeks to invest in job-rich sectors of the economy, is expected to create opportunities for young people who might otherwise turn to illegal mining,galamsey.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Western North Regional House of Chiefs at the Jubilee House, President Mahama said the government is aware of the economic circumstances pushing some young people into the activity and believes that creating alternative sources of income must complement law enforcement.
“Often, when enforcing the fight against galamsey, we find even Senior High School students in illegal mining pits,” he said.
“When you ask them why they are there, they say their fathers could not give them money to go to school, so they have come to work and earn some money. It is a major issue we need to confront.”
He said that the government’s enforcement efforts have resulted in the arrest of several young people, with hundreds awaiting trial and others on bail while their cases remained pending.
President Mahama stressed that the government must address the circumstances that lead young people into galamsey while ensuring that the law is enforced.
“The question we must ask is, what alternative do we have for them? Alongside enforcing the law against illegal mining, we must provide alternative livelihoods. That is why we are implementing the New Economy Policy,” he said.
He expressed confidence that investment in sectors capable of generating significant employment would help reduce the attraction of illegal mining.
“I believe that if we invest US$10 billion in job-rich sectors of the economy, including tourism, one of the nine pillars, it should provide alternative livelihoods for our young people and discourage them from going into galamsey,” he said.
The Government’s New Economy Policy is a planned US$10 billion investment programme aimed at moving Ghana from economic stabilisation to job creation, wealth generation and sustained economic growth.
The idea is to channel investment into productive sectors that can expand businesses, increase local production and create employment, particularly for young people.
The President also called on traditional authorities to support the fight against illegal mining, particularly in forest reserves and water bodies.
He said the National Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) has made efforts to tackle the menace, but some communities continued to resist the task force.
“The National Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) is doing a good job, but in some communities, sometimes the youth, traditional authorities and others fight back against the task force,” he said.
He further disclosed that the Minister of Finance has provided an additional GH¢400 million in the 2027 Budget to recruit more Blue Water Guards to patrol water bodies.
On efforts to protect forest reserves, he said the government has cleared all nine reserves previously classified as red zones because of extensive destruction and the danger posed by heavily armed illegal miners.
He said soldiers have been deployed to clear the affected areas and will remain stationed there to prevent illegal miners from returning.
The President also disclosed that the Goldbod has started working with the military to replant destroyed forests and reclaim degraded land.
Under the programme, bulldozers will be used to level the land for the planting of economic trees, while the Forestry Commission would support the reclamation exercise.