Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital, Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, has said Ghana does not require further laws to end illegal gold mining also known as ‘galamsey’ in the country.
He says there are already enough laws in the country to deal with the menace, but, what is lacking, is the will to enforce these laws to ensure the environment is protected.
The calls to end galamsey has intensified with individuals and civil society groups calling on the government to declare a state of emergency in places where the canker is destroying the environment.
The calls for a state of emergency began in 2024, ahead of the general election, as turbidity levels in Ghana’s water bodies worsened.
Various groups and individuals urged the government to take the matter seriously. However, President Akufo-Addo dismissed the calls, citing potential electoral repercussions for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The NPP eventually lost the 2024 election, and John Dramani Mahama was elected President. However, the galamsey menace persists, with calls for a state of emergency intensifying.
President Mahama, in a recent media encounter, stated that a state of emergency isn’t necessary at this time, as other options can be explored to combat the environmental crisis.
But speaking during a fireside chat organised by the School of Communications Studies at the University of Wisconsin in Accra, the former Chief Executive of Anglogold Ashanti noted that the problem with illegal mining in the country is not the absence of legislation but the failure of authorities to enforce existing laws.
“The laws are there; don’t mine in forest reserves, and when you do, you have to clean it up. So, it is not that we need more laws; it is the case that we need more enforcement,” he stated.
Meanwhile, government has said it is going to deploy permanent security to hotspots areas to help resolve the issue.
Galamsey fight: Soldiers to be deployed permanently in 44 hotspots – Kwakye Ofosu
