Convener of Occupy Ghana, Ace Anan Ankomah, has declared that the battle against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, has been decisively lost.
In an assessment, he attributed this failure to the government’s lack of decisive action and repeated disregard of warnings about the unchecked spread of illegal mining activities.
During an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, September 30, Mr Ankomah expressed frustration over the government’s inability to produce concrete results in tackling galamsey, despite numerous promises from officials.
He emphasized that, the government has consistently ignored urgent calls for stricter enforcement of mining regulations, allowing illegal operations to thrive.
Mr. Ankomah’s remarks come as concerns mount over the environmental destruction caused by galamsey, which has severely polluted water bodies and ravaged forest reserves across the country.
He called for a comprehensive, focused approach to solving the issue, criticizing the reactive measures that have defined the government’s response so far.
The legal practitioner also urged civil society and the public to remain vigilant in advocating for responsible mining practices and environmental conservation.
Without a unified effort to dismantle the networks enabling illegal mining, Mr. Ankomah warned that the prospects for restoring Ghana’s natural resources and protecting public health are grim.
“The only positive is that we lost this fight to ourselves, so we can sit down and fix it. We’ve lost it. Some of the images we’re seeing are horrifying. They weren’t like this when we first visited Tarkwa in 2016, or even in 2022. When you fail to regulate, everyone digs in. Now, it’s not just local kingpins; foreign players with money have entered the fray. It’s a free-for-all, and we’ve opened the doors wide,” he insisted.
Source: Adomonline
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