'Apply the polluter pays principle to fix galamsey damage' – Prof Prempeh

Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor H Kwasi Prempeh, has urged government to apply the ‘polluter pays principle’ in addressing the destruction caused by illegal mining, widely known as “galamsey”.

In a Facebook post dated February 24, 2026, Prof Prempeh stated that, assets and funds retrieved from those responsible for illegal mining should be channelled directly into ecological restoration efforts.

“The damage from galamsey must be repaired from assets and funds recovered from those who profit from it. The ‘polluter pays principle’ must be applied here. Government shouldn't tax innocent citizens to repair the damage from galamsey, when the criminal-beneficiaries and their networks that have caused and profited from such untold damage are left to walk away with their loot in plain sight,” he indicated.

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According to him, he would oppose any move to use taxpayers’ money to restore degraded lands and polluted water bodies if the state fails to make credible efforts to arrest and prosecute “galamsey” kingpins and operators.

“I would hate for my taxes to fund any of this, when we are making no credible effort to arrest and prosecute galamsey king/queen-pins and operators, enact and enforce new laws targeting their assets for forfeiture and recovery, and use the proceeds to fund ecological restoration,” he said.

He stated that Ghana cannot afford to deplete its forests and pollute its water bodies through “galamsey”, only to rely on limited public funds to restore the damage.

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