Using force to fight illegal mining doesn’t work – Anthony Aubyn

Former Chief Executive Officer at the Minerals Commission, Dr. Anthony Aubyn, has asserted that using military force alone to combat illegal mining is ineffective.

Speaking on GHOne TV, Dr. Aubyn said that while in office during John Mahama’s administration, he helped develop alternative strategies to address illegal mining, but these were not implemented by the subsequent NPP government.

“One of the tasks that I had when I was at the Minerals Commission was to come up with ideas to resolve this illegal mining, so we came up with some very attractive programmes, but they couldn’t see the light of day because John Mahama lost the elections,” he mentioned.

He further explained that the change of government after the 2016 and 2020 elections hindered the implementation of these comprehensive plans, which he emphasized were not solely reliant on military intervention.

He said, “It was very pitiable because the plans were very good; it was comprehensive; it wasn’t just using the military to chase the people.”

According to him, the soon-to-be-inaugurated John Mahama administration would ensure complete enforcement of existing laws.

“John Mahama is going to enforce that law 100%. He has also put together a team to come up with a comprehensive approach which couldn’t see the light of day; he has learned. In 2020, he improved upon the approach after further consultation with stakeholders and went to the election and lost,” he said.

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