The Member of Parliament for Atebubu-Amantin, Hon. Sanja Nanja, has called for stronger monitoring and equal enforcement of Ghana’s laws on illegal mining, arguing that the fight against galamsey cannot succeed through political accusations and double standards.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Adekyee Mu Nsem programme in Accra, Hon. Sanja Nanja said illegal mining did not begin with the establishment of the GoldBod, stressing the need to clearly distinguish between legally licensed artisanal and small-scale mining and galamsey.
He explained that galamsey refers to mining without the required authorisation, particularly activities that destroy forests, degrade farmlands and pollute water bodies.
According to him, individuals who want to engage in legal mining are required to go through the appropriate licensing processes. He, however, noted that the country currently faces difficulties in tracing the exact source of gold once it has been extracted from the ground.
Hon. Nanja said this has created confusion between responsibly mined gold and gold produced through illegal mining, especially within the artisanal mining sector.
He said GoldBod is expected to purchase gold from licensed artisanal miners, but some licensed miners also obtain gold from aggregators, making it difficult for GoldBod to immediately establish whether the gold was sourced from legal or illegal mining activities.
He therefore called for stronger monitoring and traceability mechanisms to ensure that gold purchased by GoldBod comes from legitimate sources.
Hon. Nanja also argued that the fight against galamsey must focus on the financiers and kingpins behind illegal mining operations rather than concentrating only on workers found at mining sites.
He said authorities must investigate and arrest individuals who provide the financial resources for illegal mining if the country genuinely wants to end the menace.
The Atebubu-Amantin MP questioned the commitment of political actors to the fight against galamsey, recalling instances where individuals arrested over alleged illegal mining activities received political support and demonstrations were organised demanding their release.
He maintained that political affiliation should not determine whether an individual involved in illegal mining is prosecuted.
Hon. Nanja further questioned what had become of investigations into illegal mining activities conducted during the previous administration, including the report associated with the former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
He said Ghana cannot effectively fight galamsey if political considerations and double standards continue to influence enforcement.
Hon. Sanja Nanja stressed that successive governments and political parties must take collective responsibility for tackling illegal mining, insisting that the country cannot solve the problem through rhetoric alone.
He called for consistent enforcement of the law, stronger monitoring of the gold supply chain and the prosecution of financiers, politicians, chiefs and other influential persons found to be facilitating illegal mining activities.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah
Ahotoronline, Accra
