The information gathered reveals a government advisory team on a fact-finding mission to assess the impact of illegal mining commonly known as galamsey faced stiff resistance in parts of the Western and Central regions.
According to reports minutes after a raid in Dunkwa, the team was confronted on the road by an irate NDC Constituency Chairman who said he was not consulted before the operation.
The NDC officials mobilised some illegal miners to confront the team sparking angry reactions in Dunkwa to confront the government advisory team.
The NDC official together with the protesters who were illegal miners along the Offin River blocked roads causing a standoff between the protesters and the heavily armed security personnel accompanying the team.
The government advisory team which includes Rear Admiral (Rtd) Moses Beick-Baffour, remained determined in its mission to update government policy on illegal mining and strengthen future enforcement actions despite the hostility.
The latest resistance highlights the deep-rooted political influence surrounding galamsey activities in Ghana making the fight against galamsey challenging.
Meanwhile, the lands minister has been in the news lately after embarking on a fact-finding mission around some galamsey sites.
The Minister of Lands cautioned illegal miners across the country to put down their tools and vacate the forests and rivers before they were apprehended.
During the fact-finding operation, 15 excavators were seized, with the Minister of Lands stating that the government plans to channel the excavators into road construction.
In total, Kofi Buah revealed Ghana had lost about 5,000 hectares, an equivalent of about 7,500 football fields, to illegal mining operations in forest reserves.
Speaking to the media Kofi Buah stated, “With the unwavering support of my colleagues, the Minister of Defence, Dr Omane Boamah; Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, we deployed the military to the forests to clamp down on these illegal operations.
This, however, is not the end. Investigations are ongoing, and we are working closely with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice”, he stated.
He added, “This is not an exercise in futility. We are resolute in our mission. We will not rest until those responsible for this environmental carnage are held accountable, including their accomplices,”
“As I have stated before, and I reiterate today, we will not relent in this fight. This is a battle for all of us — every Ghanaian who values our environment, our health and our future. I urge all well-meaning Ghanaians to join us in this critical fight. Together, we can win this war,”
However, the Acting Managing Director of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), Sammy Gyamfi, says the government can only end illegal mining (galamsey) if it has complete control over excavators used in mining.
He revealed that the government plans to set up a plant pool of environmentally friendly equipment and use that equipment to fight illegal mining.
Sammy Gyamfi stated, “The surest way of fighting galamsey is controlling the excavators because without the excavators you cannot engage in the mining that we are doing. So if you are the one giving the equipment to the miner then you can control what it is used for.”
Watch the video below:
“…minutes after the raid, the team was accosted on the road by an angry NDC Constituency Chairman who said he was not consulted before the operation.”
Erastsus Asare Donkor reports from Anwia & Dunkwa as Gov’t advisory team seize galamsey equipment. #JoySMS pic.twitter.com/vb6BFOUsHn
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) March 5, 2025
