The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has blamed entrenched corruption and political miscalculations for the persistent failure of Ghana’s efforts to combat illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
Addressing delegates at the Global Mining Summit in Accra, the Asantehene warned that the continued destruction of forests, water bodies, and fertile lands by illegal mining activities threatens the country’s environmental future and economic sustainability.
“The pollution of our water bodies, the destruction of our forests, and the degradation of our virgin lands cannot be allowed to continue unchecked,” Otumfuo stated.
“It cannot be denied that the cocktail of regulatory failures, political miscalculation and corruption has combined to make the curbing of the menace more challenging.”
Despite numerous government interventions, illegal mining remains rampant in several parts of the country.
The Asantehene urged leaders and stakeholders to take a critical look at policy options and commit to a unified, long-term solution.
“We have the opportunity to calmly dissect the policy options and tools available to deal with the problem,” he added, calling for “urgent and sustained action.”
The Asantehene also commended recent government initiatives aimed at revitalizing Ghana’s mining industry, particularly the introduction of Gold for Oil (Gold4Oil) and the Goldbod platform.
Describing Goldbod as a “creative initiative,” he said it could help attract new investment, boost production, and bring greater structure to the gold mining value chain.
“The emergence of the new Goldbod is a creative initiative we need for the rise of the industry, increasing the prospect for more investment and higher yields,” he noted.
“It injects a new urgency to the challenges we are trying to address.”
By: Shadrack Odame Agyare | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
