Galamsey Crackdown: Akufo-Addo Deploys Police and Military

Amid increasing calls on the government to temporarily ban small-scale mining, President Akufo-Addo has ordered the deployment of the police and the military to crack down on illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to sources, the decision was taken after a National Security meeting to assess the impact of galamsey on river bodies and the environment.

Speaking at a media engagement on Wednesday evening, September 11, following a press conference by the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor announced that President Akufo-Addo has directed the decommissioning of illegal mining equipment if necessary.

“The various Regional Security Councils have been tasked to conduct recordings and scrutiny of their various areas and begin to roll out swoops and enhance the enforcement regime. So, in the days and weeks to come, we will see the heightened and rampant enforcement.

…The Ghana Police Service at various RESECs will be the first point of call; if the need arises, we will take it a step further by including the Ghana Armed Forces, and when the need arises, we will possibly begin the extraordinary measure of decommissioning equipment used for illegal small-scale mining,” he stated.

On Wednesday, September 11, Organised Labour issued a stern warning to the government, threatening a series of demonstrations and a nationwide strike by the end of September if decisive action was not taken to address the escalating galamsey crisis.

Other groups, including religious leaders and the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, have voiced the same sentiments.

Conversations on galamsey and its dire impact arose after the management of Ghana Water Company Limited in the Central Region announced that there would be challenges with water supply in Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities. The company revealed that the recent demand-supply gap is due to inadequate raw water received at the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) caused by galamsey activities.

Environmental groups, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens have since voiced their frustrations over the lack of significant progress in curbing galamsey activities, which have resulted in the contamination of rivers, destruction of farmlands, and loss of livelihoods for many Ghanaians.