Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Stephen Adei, has described the government’s GoldBod initiative as nothing short of the “legalisation of galamsey,” warning that the policy risks entrenching the very menace it claims to regulate.
Speaking at a seminar in Accra, shared by Bullet TV, the former NDPC chair argued that Ghana’s political class, some traditional leaders, and elements within the security services have become complicit in the illegal mining crisis that has devastated forests, degraded farmlands, and polluted major river bodies.
“Who are the galamseyers? The politicians, the chiefs and the security agents — they are the ones responsible for polluting the whole of the water sources in Ghana,” Prof. Adei said.
He cautioned that the state cannot claim to be fighting illegal mining while creating structures that effectively enable it.
“The current government, which in many ways is doing well, has localized galamsey. Gold Board is legalization of galamsey… If you’re able to distinguish between the small genuine gold miners and the galamseyers, you could have stopped the galamsey.”
ALSO READ: Trade Minister Assures Swift Action to Help Pharma Firms Recover Debts
Ghana continues to grapple with the environmental and social fallout of illegal mining — from the destruction of protected forest reserves to the contamination of rivers including the Pra, Offin, Ankobrah, and Birim.
Entire communities now depend on sachet water as rivers once used for drinking, farming and fishing turn brown with silt and heavy metals.
Despite intensified operations by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Taskforce (NAIMOS), resistance from illegal mining groups remains high. Officers working in forest reserves and mining hotspots report dangerous encounters with miners who are increasingly emboldened and, in some cases, allegedly rely on spiritual protection.
Nana Poku Bosompim, Western Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, recently revealed that some illegal miners claim to possess spiritual fortification said to make them resistant to gunfire. This, he said, has forced enforcement teams to adopt unusual strategies on the field.
Prof. Adei warned that unless public officials uphold integrity and resist the temptation to misuse their positions, illegal mining will continue to flourish despite government campaigns.
“Be careful in your own way that you don’t abuse the privileges of your office,” – he urged, insisting that the fight against galamsey must begin with honesty at the highest levels of leadership.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com