High-Tech Galamsey Menace in Ghana: Apply the ‘polluter pays’ principle to fight it

Evidence of the destruction of vast areas of forest reserves, woody and herbaceous species, animals and aquatic species, and farmlands as well as pollution of major river bodies due to the prevailing high-tech galamsey (HTG) activities in the southern section of the country is alarming.

This HTG menace which has become an existential threat to the present and future generations of Ghana requires a not business-as-usual approach to addressing it.

The Akufo-Addo-led regime and the NPP have exhibited brazing greed and insincerity in the fight against life-threatening galamsey operations.

Ghana cannot afford to experience ‘environmental suicide’ from this preventable HTG ‘virus’. I hereby recommend that the next Mahama/NDC regime should apply the ‘polluter pays’ principle, which is often used in the extractive industry (e.g. oil production, mineral extraction, etc.) and other factories globally.

The ‘polluter pays’ principle refers to a commonly accepted practice, which says that those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health as well as the environment. Thus, he who pollutes must pay. This is a fair principle and should be applied without delay to curb this scary HTG phenomenon in Ghana.

This polluter pays principle is part of a set of broader principles to guide sustainable development worldwide (formally known as the 1992 Rio Declaration) and Ghana is bound by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Thus, this widely applied principle will make sure that those greedy and wicked individuals and companies destroying and polluting the natural environment, and human health are held responsible for the costs of reclamation of galamsey sites and cleaning of all polluted rivers.

This polluter pays principle perfectly falls in line with NDC’s resolve to use the ORAL (Operation Recover All Loots) approach to recover all loot by this corrupt governing NPP regime under Akufo-Addo and Bawumia.

The basic human rights of Ghanaians are violated through these HTG operations and are not necessarily benefiting from the proceeds of galamsey operations under this governing NPP regime. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the NPP have given up and cannot fight the ongoing HTG.

Using the polluter pays principle, all persons who are engaged in destroying forests and contaminating rivers and are left off the hook by the uncommitted Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime should be held responsible for their environmental crimes.

Looking at the desire of many Ghanaians to change government, the Mahama-Opoku-

Agyemang regime of the NDC Party will make sure the raging HTG phenomenon is strongly curbed and rationalize all small-scale mining activities in all mining communities.

The next Mahama/NDC regime should show committed leadership to investigate and identify all polluters/contaminators in the ongoing HTG operations and hold them responsible for all costs covering restoration and cleaning of the destroyed and polluted forests, habitats, biodiversity, and river bodies in the country.

While using the polluter pays principle, there should be a concurrent ban on all forms of NEW HTG and other compromised legal small-scale mining activities for about a year to better assess the extent of destruction and pollution caused to our forests and rivers and culpability of individuals in this dangerous HTG practice.

A constructive national dialogue is key to conscientize the people on the existential threat of this HTG phenomenon in Ghana.