A former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Ade Coker, is calling for an outright ban on illegal mining also known as ‘galamsey’.
Mr. Coker is also urging the government to suspend small-scale mining across the country. The aim, he says, is to help reclaim all lands destroyed by illegal mining activities.
The former NDC Greater Accra Chair says there is the need to protect Ghana’s water bodies from pollution and and also protect the forest reserves from further destruction.
Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV Wednesday, April 02, 2025, Mr. Coker did not leave out the large-scale miners, saying their operations should also be given at least four years suspension restore the nation’s depleted forests.
He questioned whether the proceeds the nation is making from the gold is worth the destruction of the environment, describing Ghana’s reward from the mineral as “peanuts”.
“Galamsey should be banned; small-scale mining should be suspended. The big companies should be set aside for the next three to four years to reclaim our land. How much are we getting from our gold?
“The last time I heard, $2 billion worth of Ghana’s gold was exported to Dubai, and out of that $2 billion, most of it was smuggled. Ghana gained just peanuts from it,” he stated.
He further suggested that all excavators in the country be tracked to identify those being used to perpetuate illegal activities at the detriment at Ghana’s environment.
“We should have an inventory of all the excavators in this country. We should find out which excavator is in road construction and how many are in mining, then call the owners to bring them to designated places,” he added.
Meanwhile, at Mpasatia, a community in the Atwima Mponua district of the Ashanti region, five illegal miners have died from a collapsed pit at the site where they were mining gold.
According to reports, several others have been trapped in the debris where a team of rescuers were searching for them.
Ashanti Region: 5 illegal miners dead; others trapped in a pit
