Seven people have been arrested for engaging in illegal mining commonly known as galamsey in the Upper West Region.
According to reports, the Upper West Regional Police Command apprehended the 7 persons for engaging in illegal mining activities on the Black Volta River.
It will be recalled some weeks ago, the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, revealed that deposits of gold had been discovered in seven out of its 15 District Assemblies and Municipalities.
He made this revelation during a discussion with journalists at the proposed site for the Bolgatanga airport.
Donatus Akamugri Atanga speaking to the media on Saturday, March 29 at the proposed Bolgatanga airport stated, “This region, all of a sudden, we have discovered minerals around. Out of the 15 municipal district assemblies, we have about seven of them that have this deposits. And if they are having this deposits, it means that there’s business to do.
“And then, when they do the mining, they will need faster means to be able to send their gold to the national level without being disturbed by armed robberies,” he said.
Donatus Akamugri Atanga noted that the construction of the Bolgatanga Airport will aid miners and gold buyers in transporting.
He further added, “There’s a need for us to fasten this to improve upon things. Upper East is a gateway to Burkina Faso and Togo. Our airport will be more lucrative.”
Meanwhile, President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, says he feels sorry for the people of the Upper East region following the discovery of gold in the region.
Franklin Cudjoe reacting to the story on Facebook simply wrote, “Trouble.”
His post is an indication of the curse that comes with gold mining in communities.
It is very popular to see communities in which gold has been discovered facing stalled development as corporations do little to improve their way of life and end up polluting them.
Aside from the corporations, the discovery of gold in communities resulted in the invasion of their lands by illegal miners popularly referred to as ‘galamseyers’ in local parlance.
See the post below:
Upper West Regional Police Command apprehends 7 persons for engaging in illegal mining activities on the Black Volta River…#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork#GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/zIqwcOIuRQ
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) April 11, 2025
