Why galamsey persists despite regulatory efforts and what can be done

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• Kiki 1 month ago

  The solution is simple. Institute a 25 to 50-year mandatory minimum prison sentences with hard labor for all suspects who are convicted in court. This should include the co-conspirators, ring leaders and masterminds (regardle ...
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  The solution is simple. Institute a 25 to 50-year mandatory minimum prison sentences with hard labor for all suspects who are convicted in court. This should include the co-conspirators, ring leaders and masterminds (regardless of social, economic, religious or political status), and also charge and jail anyone who tries to come and "beg" for leniency for the convicted. Watch the nonsense stop in a heart beat.

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• Earl 1 month ago

  It's not hard to stop Galamsay. Start with creating a fine grained aerial photo of Ghana. Galamsay is easily identifiable from the air. Update the map once a month (cheap drones can be used). The map must be public, it should ...
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  It's not hard to stop Galamsay. Start with creating a fine grained aerial photo of Ghana. Galamsay is easily identifiable from the air. Update the map once a month (cheap drones can be used). The map must be public, it should be on a government website. Where the affected areas grow, send the police. Put up a fence around the site, set out armed sentries. Forbid any traffic in the area.
  
  Punish people who are caught red handed. Punish their bosses. This is of course the weak point. Because there is money in illegal gold mining, the miners can pay police and politicians to look another way.
  
  With bigger openness, a frequently updated aerial photo, this will be harder.
  
  Galamsay is driven by a coalition of poor youth without alternative employment, local police, local chiefs and politicians. They all pocket illegal money. "Chinese" are often mentioned. There might be ten or twenty Chinese, but 99 of 100 culprits are Ghaneans.

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• JULOR CAESAR 1 month ago

  No government has any good excuse for not being able to put an end to galamsey, a criminal enterprise that is carried out in plain sight. And it's even more inexcusable , knowing that the nation has a standing military force ...
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  No government has any good excuse for not being able to put an end to galamsey, a criminal enterprise that is carried out in plain sight. And it's even more inexcusable , knowing that the nation has a standing military force with helicopters that can be used to to aid in the fight against galamsey but can't seem to realize that it has this powerful tool in its arsenal. It's also time for the government to stop making excuses for many low level workers in galamsey pits, claiming that they're working in these pits due to lack of real jobs. No government should ever make excuses for any person breaking the law and, worse, resorting to violent attacks against government agents sent to galamsey operation sites to stop those illegal operations. With the sophistication and ease of use of drones, the government has no excuse for not deploying them to aid in the fight against galamsey. With regards to to many Chinese engaged in galamsey, they do are deep into it because they're aware of the government's unwillingness to wield a heavy hand against foreign galamsey operators. Galamsey would not have flourished for so long without the behind the scenes protections of mafia-like actors who also happen to be high level leaders from all walks of life in the country. At the end of the day, it's the government that has the responsibility to ensure that the laws of Ghana are enforced, and it's the government that has the resources and tools to use in the fight against galamsey. All successive governments in Ghana have done nothing but make promises to bring an end to galamsey while the more lands continue to be contaminated and waters polluted, actions that lead to a path of far too many Ghanaians exposed in the future to all all sorts of diseases due to consuming fish from polluted, waters, drinking water from polluted rivers and consuming foods grown on contaminated soils. Time for the Ghana government and politicians to stop making excuses, time to stop making promises, and time to act decisively to bring this evil menace to its knees and save the lives of Ghanaians.

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