Choose Ghana over galamsey

Galamsey is a local Ghanaian term coined from the expression  "gather them and sell". Indeed, galamseyers have been literally gathering the minerals in Ghana as well as selling them. Their uncontrolled spread across Ghana, poses many adverse impacts to water bodies and vegetation.

Different degrees of injuries and fatalities are sustained on regular basis by galamsey operators, local community personnel and wild animals. Those are as a result of  failed walls of pits, landslides, equipment usage, skin contaminations from chemicals used especially mercury.  

Recently "New Anti-Galamsey Measures" was announced by Geoarge Mireku Duker, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources. It's insightful to note that the major parts of all the four measures were to be implemented through the human resource.

• recruitment and training of river guards (Human resource)
• Introduction of river-boats to patrol rivers 24/7 (Human resource)
• setting up of situational room at minerals commission (Human resource)
• Use of bodycams by river guards (Human resource)

But yet it is some of the people that form part of the human resources who are engaging in the galamsey. This makes the saying true, "Ghanaians are their own problems"; therefore, they need to stop being 'galamsey' to support the country.

Ghana has what it takes to completely wipe out galamsey. The 1992 constitution was established to protect the country's resources including natural resources; water bodies, land and wild animals. Other acts like the mineral and mining act, 1986, Precious Minerals Marketing Corporation Law, 1989 and Mineral Royalties Regulations, 1987 have all been formulated to someway provide solutions to land management problems.

The time is overdue for the right authorities in Ghana to make the regulatory frameworks work. Authorities from the community level to the national level must support Ghana in the galamsey eradication operation, from the National House of Chiefs to the President of Ghana including the Municipal Chief Executives.