SUPPOSED GALAMSEY FIGHT; TOYING WITH THE SURVIVAL OF THE UNBORN

 

“Galamsey” operations over decades ago have destroyed most of our agriculture lands, destroyed many water bodies, including rivers which takes 100 years to recover to healthy state in Ghana, people in galamsey communities are being diagnosed with chronic kidney diseases because of inhalation of mercury vapor.

This, subsequently is leading to water shortages in the country, rock sediments and residues from the ‘galamsey’ pits as well as other activities such as the desilting of rivers is causing tributaries to die. The saddest part of this is that most of these galamsey operations are carried out by Chinese nationals, aided by Ghanaians who use heavy machinery in their illegal activity.

Many more people, have been drawn into the sector. The Information Minister in 2017 claimed there are 200,000 people engaged in galamsey, while other sources suggest nearly 3 million rely on it for their livelihoods.

The aftermath of this activity is very much disturbing as it affects the country’s environmental, social and health resources.

The laws of the country on illegal mining are clear, and they restrict foreigners from engaging in small scale mining.

                                            Hundreds of thousands, including many from China, are engaged in illegal artisanal mining. How can the government stop it? Is it menace only the central government can solve?

These questions live on the minds of citizens who on daily basis, see their rivers and cocoa farms getting destroyed by a purported act which the all governments have stood against it publicly.

The past three years have seen the emergence of a massive campaign headed by the media in a supposed fight against the act. The Ghanaian media has been discussing these effects of “galamsey” as a way of assisting the government in tackling the issue. Television, radio shows have opened dialogues amongst officials and various experts with deep knowledge on the matter to explain their plans in solving the issues of “galamsey”.

The government of the day, fueled up with a lot of initiatives and support from CSOs have been to be apprehending persons directly or indirectly involved in this activity and legally deal with them. But, at the moment, the fight is encountering a major challenge in the fight.

Critically paying attention to the narrative around the menace, one could see that locally, the practice contributes to surges in crime, prostitution, unemployment, food ration in affected areas. Nationally, it represents huge sums in lost revenue and exports.

Galamsey, mostly is happening in hinterlands. Cocoa farming is in the ascendency, these mining activities can lead to the seizure of land by companies leading the extraction, and subsequently cause environmental destruction. The viability of agriculture is becoming nonexistent.

Credit: Graphic Online

                                                From the centrality of actors from China in the activity, one of Ghana’s biggest trade partners; to the importance of small-scale mining in creating jobs in a country which is wrestling with high youth unemployment; to the allegedly close relations between criminal networks in the acts and security forces stationed to protect the lands; galamsey is deeply rooted into many aspects of Ghana’s current reality. Recently, in an episode of Joy News’s PM Express, it was revealed that there exist a power house in the act, made up of electorates who punishes Presidents by not voting for their parties during elections because, they made statements of clamping down the act. Tackling the problem will therefore take a wide range of strategies that must be pursued comprehensively and in a long-term manner.

To most Ghanaians, the name “Aisha Huang” (real name En Huang) is synonymous with illegal mining or galamsey. But, quiz yourself with these thoughts.

                                                Why are we always apprehending the vulnerable in society?  Why are we labelling an individual out of thousands, as queen and king pin? Why can’t we prosecute these actors with no obscenity? What happened to pledges by the First Gentleman of the land? Is he afraid of honoring his pledges because of “breaking the eight”? Are we afraid of China because they could truncate processes of granting Ghana loans? Who are really behind galamsey?

The current government led by the President Nana Akufo-Addo is known to have made countless promises to get the act under regulations.

According to report filed by pulse.com.gh;

• Nana Addo outlines what will make him lift the ban on galamsey: In 2018, the government imposed an initial six-month ban on small-scale mining 2017.

• I put my presidency on the line for galamsey fight - Nana Addo: In 2017, the President put his presidency on the line with a commitment to end the illegal small-scale mining.

• Nana Addo renews commitment to fight against galamsey: The President in an interview on CNN's Zain's Exchange, on Monday, May 3, 2021.

• Continue burning galamsey excavators - Nana Addo: On May 26, 2021.

• The government will end galamsey activities – Nana Addo: On Tuesday, June 7, 2022.

Nonetheless, the combination of energetic media attention, military involvement, grassroots campaigns and a host of government policies perhaps keeps the flame burning that, the country can truly tackle galamsey – and, with it, the associated problems such as lost revenue, food ration, prostitution, land, unemployment, cocoa farms and environmental destruction will be no more.