Editorial by Ghanaian Times: National campaign against galamsey a must!!

The Ghanaian Times is highly elated that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), and the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) have joined the calls on the government to take prompt action to stop galamsey in the country.

Those of us working for the Ghanaian Times are elated because we have never hidden our aversion to the illegal mining menace because of its deadly devastation to the country’s environment, particularly water bodies, farmlands, and forest reserves.

This paper has presented countless editorials demanding prompt action.

The latest of such editorials was on Monday, Sep­tember 2, 2024.

In that piece titled ‘Fight against galamsey must be won!!’, the paper expressed worry about the enormous state resources be­ing pumped into the fight against galamsey without any sign of victory in sight as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo him­self had once admitted how the galamsey problem had become insoluble.

In addition, the Editorial reminded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ad­do of his remarks constituting his avowed resolve to eliminate galamsey since he was a presidential candidate in 2016 seeking the mandate of the peo­ple to rule the country and during his presidency.

He has stuck to that resolve to the extent of saying at one point that even if he has to put his presidency on line to win the fight, he would do so.

It is sad that politicians make all manner of claims to win pow­er and sometimes make certain attempts upon winning power to fulfil the promises.

Usually, their actions are sem­blances of what they promised to do, because they fail to take the necessary actions to tackle the problems, especially if the solutions would cost them some votes in the next election.

In the circumstances, they employ subterfuge to acquit themselves and push the blame or the responsibility on others.

No wonder at a natural re­source stakeholders’ dialogue in Accra in May 2023, the President said despite massive success in the fight against galamsey, the practice remained an existential threat and that galamsey must be stopped with the help of all Gha­naians and urged them not to rest until the menace had ceased.

In that same Editorial in reference were the following statements: “Everyone, indeed, is expected to join the fight against galamsey but the government must spearhead it with support from chiefs and security person­nel.”

“To this end the government must be resolute in its vow to eradicate the menace, rather than the public remarks that are just charade and populism.”

Most of the time, politicians get away with unfulfilled promis­es in the absence of pressure on them to be accountable because either those to demand account­ability have become their cronies or harbour the fear of all manner of oppression or repression.

The call for a national cam­paign against illegal mining is therefore welcome as it is timely and appropriate. (See our story on 12)

The focus must be on de­manding accountability from the Akufo-Addo administration and making him do the needful to justify the huge state resources expended so far on the fight against galamsey.