Galamsey is derived from the phrase “gather them and sell”, local Ghanaian parlance that means illegal small-scale gold mining.
Such workers are known as galamseyers or orpailleurs in neighboring Francophone nations. Galamseyers are people who perform illegal gold mining. It has also been defined by some people as an illegal means of extracting gold from its original source.
The government can not be however eschewed from this conversation because it plays a pivotal role in the fight against this social menace. Relating the government’s efforts and the people’s responsibility in the fight against galamsey is an equally demanding task to uphold in gratifying environmental sustainability.
The government was defined by Abraham Lincoln, the Sixteenth President of the United States of America (USA), as the “Government of the people, for the people and by the people’’.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America also said, “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people there is liberty”.
This simply shows that Governance cannot exist without the people.
“The fight on Galamsey a responsibility of the government or a collective effort of all”
Efforts
Dangers and wastage
For the past 5 years, our river bodies have been polluted. The Brim River, River Pra, and Oti River amongst others have been in a devastating shape. Likewise, the forest reserve, and the lands.
The Ghana water company says that if we do not revert, we might be importing water in the next 50 years.
The global initiative had reported that over 500 Excavators belonging to suspected individuals were burnt or removed from the site and some persons were arrested. Both Ghanaians and foreigners have been victims
“Case study of Aisha Wuhan”
The country is said to have spent about 300 million in the last 3 years in the fight.
The information minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah had revealed that 200,000 people are engaged in galamsey and are dependent on it for survival.
Traditional leaders (Nananom) say politicians hide behind the young innocent person and level up the menace but the politicians say they cannot be blamed since they do not owe lands but chiefs.
A report by Professor Frimpong Boateng, Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in 2021 on galamsey has revealed how politicians are promoting the menace with their involvement.
Conclusion
The ordinary Ghanaian is currently left in between as to who is right or wrong, we cannot tell. The fight cannot be a responsibility of the government alone, it’s supposed to be a collaborative effort. In fact, it is even more dependent on the ordinary Ghanaian citizen since effort by the government alone keeps failing. It can never be a one-sided thing so the Ghanaian must first of all accept our problem and decide to help all out with ideas and best practices.
God admonishes us in, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 to pray for our leaders and ask God to help them.
“Two are better than one, for if either of them falls, one can help the other up’’ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
I hereby conclude that the fight against galamsey is a collective effort and not the responsibility of the government.
By: Ahma Baidoo / Ahotoronline.com
