Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has outlined a five-pillar strategy to tackle illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, in the country.
The strategy emphasises stakeholder engagement, regulatory reforms, law enforcement, reclamation, and alternative livelihoods as the foundation for eliminating illegal mining and promoting responsible small-scale mining across the country.
The sector minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), who also doubles as the caretaker Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, said the move forms part of efforts to safeguard Ghana’s environment, water bodies, and mineral resources.
He disclosed this when President John Dramani Mahama held a stakeholder dialogue with civil society in Accra on galamsey.
Mr. Buah said the first pillar which is stakeholder engagement and collaboration will work towards bringing together everyone, including traditional leaders, local authorities, academia, civil society organisations, and residents, to build consensus against illegal mining through educational campaigns to encourage local ownership of the fight and promote responsible mining practices.
He noted that the Ministry is also strengthening the Licensing Regimes and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that only properly registered miners operate within the law.
“The Ministry is also driving a decentralisation agenda to ensure that District Mining Committees are a central part of the process of the issuance of mining licences – they are to make recommendations to the Minerals Commission before any licence is issued,” he added.
Mr. Buah said the law enforcement pillar involves close collaboration with law enforcement agencies to clamp down on unlicensed operators while protecting legally compliant miners.
“The establishment of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) – as the operational nerve centre for the coordination of all anti-illegal mining law enforcement operations is instrumental in the successes that the government has chalked so far. Digital tools are being deployed to track excavator imports, and geotagging and geofencing their use within stipulated jurisdictions,” he said.
The fourth pillar involves the rehabilitation of degraded lands and the restoration of polluted rivers.
Under this pillar, the sector minister said two key initiatives have been launched – the Tree for Life Reforestation Programme and the Blue Water Initiative, respectively.
He also indicated that special attention is being given to communities severely affected by galamsey, with reclamation projects already underway in several regions.
“Forest Reserves and Water Bodies have also been declared Security Zones to be manned by the NAIMOS task force.
“Under the Blue Water Initiative, the first leg is the deployment of Blue Water Guards who serve as community vanguards in the riverine areas, driving awareness creation, warding off illegal miners on waterbodies, and serving as first responders for NAIMOS along the major waterbodies.
“Through their work, some nine hundred (900) water pumps confiscated from illegal miners have been disbursed to farmers through the Ministry of Agriculture for better use,” he added.
Mr. Buah again listed the provision of alternative livelihoods, which aims at providing sustainable economic opportunities for communities dependent on galamsey, as one of the strategies being used to fight illegal mining.
The strategy involves the training and support in agriculture, agro-processing, and other vocational ventures to reduce reliance on illegal mining. The Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) is the vehicle driving this programme.
“It is fundamentally designed to achieve sustainable community transformation through three critical objectives; the Promotion and facilitation of environmentally responsible cooperative mining, Provision of vocational, technical, agricultural, digital, and entrepreneurial training to youth and women to equip them with relevant skills for alternative employment and self-employment, and the Restoration of lands degraded by illegal mining for productive use in agriculture, forestry, and other income-generating activities,” he said.
According to the Minister, this multi-faceted approach will not only curb illegal mining but also ensure that small-scale mining contributes meaningfully to the country’s economy without destroying its environment.
President John Dramani Mahama pledged full transparency in the fight against illegal mining activities.
“I’m determined. We need your support. We need your criticism, your advocacy, your pressure. Continue to put our feet to the fire, and let’s win this fight together. Our great-grandfathers gave us a beautiful country with trees and beautiful rivers, and we should not hand over poisoned water bodies or desecrated forests to our children and great-grandchildren. I want to personally assure you that as President, I will also continue to put pressure on the Minister and other officials in charge to deliver on our promise,” the President said at the meeting.
A Daily Guide Report