The Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIP) has said he is not surprised that illegal mining activities are soaring in the country.
Professor Emmanuel Kwesi Aning asserts the criminal network behind the practice which is also known as ‘galamsey’, is not ready to give up its merchandise for the safety of Ghana’s environment.
According to him, despite the laws that empower State agencies, including the National Security to fight the menace, their efforts are not yielding any results, making him wonder the powers behind the practice that is scaring people from enforcing the laws.
He said leadership is not ready to face the people behind illegal mining in the country.
“I’m not surprised and it’s going to get worse because we are both incapable and unwilling to grab the bull by the horn,” he said on the maiden edition of TV3’s Agenda Monday, September 30, 2024.
Speaking on the plethora of legislation on illegal mining without enforcement, he asked: “Are these laws just for decorative purposes or they are meant to empower those that our taxpayers’ money go to to provide the protection and the services.”
“Who are funding this business that people are so frightened to do what they are supposed to do? Are our people so corrupted that they dare not do what is right?” the Clinical Professor of Peacekeeping Practice at the Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, quizzed further.
Prof. Aning further indicated that the cartel behind illegal mining is not ready to pave way for the canker to stop.
“The criminal networks behind this and their propensity and willingness to use violence to ensure that they continue to run this business, I don’t think that they have started to scratch the surface,” He added.
Illegal mining activities have skyrocketed for the past few years with Ghana’s water bodies being polluted to unprecedented levels whilst forest reserves are being destroyed.
This is despite President Akufo-Addo pledging to put his presidency on the line to end the menace.
The development triggered a pro political group, Democracy Hub, to go on a three-day demonstration between Saturday, September 21, to Monday, September 23, 2024, which resulted in a clash between them and the police.
53 persons were arrested in the process and detained, with two of them being kept over 48 hours before being processed for court. The court also remanded the suspects for two weeks to reappear in court, a situation many have described as a breach of their constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, the suspects have been charged for several crimes including unlawful assembly and stealing.
Galamsey: ‘Ghana is on a mission of genocide’ – Prof. Fosu-Mensah
