Illegal mining continues to threaten Ghana’s forests, rivers, and farmlands.
Various governments have adopted different approaches to the fight, but to no avail.
The current government’s National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) was established in 2025 to combat illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey). Yet the menace still lingers.
Speaking at a town hall meeting, a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, noted the fight against galamsey has not been satisfactory.
He said, “Today, the reason why nothing has changed is that we are too fearful. We are not dealing with a problem. When people are threatening your life, your livelihood, we are all at risk. We are at the point of being killed.”
He also mentioned that it is high time stricter regulations are put in place. “Get a good army general, the type of general that we had in those days. Deal with the problem, give away the power. Declare martial law. Suspend the laws of the country and give them special power to deal with the problem.”
For his part, statesman Captain RTD Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe reiterated the need for the military to be involved in the fight.
“No other group, apart from the military, can solve this problem, because the military, when given orders, will carry them out to the letter. If you order the military, and the President, you have the power to do that. If you tell them, I don’t want anyone in the forest reserves, the military will go there with just one battalion. And I can assure you, they will definitely clear them out.”
Touching on the government delay towards electing a defence minister, he explained that there is a need for the person to be matured and revered by the military.
“Right down from Nkrumah’s time, those who have been defence ministers are mature people. When I say mature, somebody 40 plus, 50, going. If you are not careful and you don’t pick the right, because it gets to a stage where he will have to address them. He is the minister of defence. And if they don’t have respect for him, you are finished.”
The two former military officers also admonished the younger generations to be upfront with their grievances while encouraging them to be fearless and courageous enough to voice out their concerns.
By Samuel Yeboah Adams
