Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Mr. Daryl Bosu, has called for a community-based approach to address the illegal mining crisis in Ghana, emphasizing that the current top-down strategy is not sustainable.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement on mitigating the adverse effects of small-scale mining in Ghana at Asiakwa, Mr. Bosu highlighted that the traditional approach of tackling illegal mining has proven ineffective.
He explained that A Rocha Ghana’s experience in various mining communities shows that locals, after witnessing the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining, are increasingly opposed to the practice.
However, these community members often lack the support of central government to confront the illegal miners.
“These communities are already acting as environmental guards. However, due to the armed nature of illegal miners, they are sometimes reluctant to directly confront them,” Mr. Bosu noted.
He stressed that the most effective way to combat illegal mining is for the government to collaborate closely with local communities and other stakeholders. By doing so, they can work together to remove illegal miners from the system.
“From our experience, the communities are ready to help fight this menace. Even those who once supported mining have backed off after witnessing its destructive effects. The challenge is that they’re not getting the support they need to remove the illegal miners,” he said.
Mr. Bosu further argued that there is no need for River Guards to protect water bodies in galamsey-prone areas because the local people are already serving as guards. What they require is collaboration and government support to take action.
“The people are already providing information about illegal mining activities, but they don’t get the prompt response needed to remove these miners from the system,” he added.
Dr. Clement Sarfo-Nyarko from King’s College London echoed Mr. Bosu’s sentiments, suggesting that process-based leadership and close collaboration between all relevant stakeholders are key to solving the illegal mining crisis in Ghana.
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