A President John Dramani Mahama has delivered a frank assessment of the illegal mining crisis, known locally as galamsey, admitting that the practice has become deeply entrenched in Ghanaian society with the complicity of individuals across the political and traditional spectrum.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, March 17, the President acknowledged that the fight against the environmental menace would be protracted and difficult precisely because of this widespread involvement.
President Mahama stated that illegal mining has “eaten into the fabric of our society,” involving not just ordinary citizens but a network that includes traditional rulers and political party appointees. He noted that the problem transcends political lines, with operators adeptly shifting their allegiances with changes in government to ensure their activities continue unabated.
“Even when one party changes, those who were running some operation, who went to one party, will go to the next party and say, ‘Now that you have come, come and take over this operation and let’s share,'” the President revealed. “And so I don’t kid myself that we don’t have our own people involved.”
The President highlighted the immense challenges faced by the anti-illegal mining task force, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operation Squad (NAIMOS). He described how operatives are met with hostility and resistance from the very communities they are tasked to protect, including chiefs and the youth, making their work exceedingly difficult.
“The work of the NAIMOS is not easy. They go to a community and the chiefs, the youth and everybody come out and resist them,” he said. “And so I didn’t kid myself that we will be able to win that fight overnight. But we cannot relent, we must continue.”
President Mahama also linked the surge in illegal mining to the struggles within the cocoa sector. He explained that historically low producer prices have driven some farmers to abandon their cocoa farms in favor of the more immediate financial returns from gold mining.
To counter this, the government is developing an automatic pricing mechanism aimed at stabilizing cocoa prices and ensuring farmers receive a fairer share—targeting 70%—of the global market price. The President expressed hope that this would provide a viable economic alternative and discourage farmers from turning to galamsey.
In addition to social and economic hurdles, the President pointed to significant logistical constraints hampering the government’s efforts. He specifically noted a critical shortage of patrol boats needed to effectively monitor the country’s waterways and forest reserves for illegal mining activity.
“One of the problems we have is we don’t have patrol boats, especially on our waterways for nine months to continue to patrol the waterways,” he explained.
President Mahama assured that his administration is actively working with the Ministries of Finance, Defence, and Interior to secure the necessary resources, including patrol equipment and improved facilities for security personnel deployed in the fight.
