NDC hasn’t shown the expected commitment to fight galamsey – Sulemana Braimah

Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has expressed disappointment in the Mahama administration’s handling of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, saying the government has not demonstrated the level of commitment expected of it.

He said the government’s actions so far did not reflect the urgency and seriousness needed to tackle the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, particularly the pollution of water bodies and the destruction of forest reserves.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, during a discussion on the Mahama administration’s fight against galamsey, Mr Braimah said he had expected a more determined response, especially given the strong positions the NDC had taken on the issue while in opposition.

“My honest opinion is that this government has not shown that level of commitment that we all expected to see, if indeed what they had said in opposition was something that they were willing to go by,” he said.

He said that his concerns were driven by disappointment rather than a feeling that the governing party had misled the public.

“I feel disappointed, not misled. I feel disappointed because I was hoping that, given the crisis that we were all witnesses to, the pollution of our water bodies, the devastation of our forest reserves, you know, as I said, sometimes just by the road, roads were caving in and all of that, I would have seen a much more serious and truly honest arrangement towards the fight,” he stated.

Mr Braimah also questioned the progress of the government's proposed cooperative mining arrangement, which is intended to organise and regulate small-scale miners as part of efforts to address illegal mining.

He said that the government needed to move beyond announcing plans and demonstrate tangible progress in implementing a system that could provide a more organised alternative to illegal mining.

Referring to mining activities along the Black Volta, he said illegal mining had continued in areas where the government was expected to have taken action.

He recalled that the Media Foundation for West Africa produced a documentary in 2024 highlighting illegal mining activities and the challenges facing communities in affected areas.

“By the way, the point about mining on the Black Volta, I mean, it's a fact, it was happening. We did a documentary in 2024 about it and exposed the challenges that were happening. So mining was taking place,” he said.

He also referred to a government document identifying 42 communities affected by mining activities, including locations where illegal mining was reportedly taking place inside buildings and rooms.

Mr Braimah said the scale of the problem made it necessary for the government to provide clear evidence that its proposed interventions were being implemented.

He questioned the pace of the cooperative mining initiative, noting that the last information available to him in October indicated that only 11 groups had been established.

“You would expect that at least if this government says, look, what we want to do to solve this problem is this cooperative mine, responsible cooperative mining, and so on. What has happened?” he asked.

“The last time I read, which was this October, we have been told that 11 groups have been established. Eleven groups for almost two years, if that indeed is going to be the solution towards this problem.”

Mr Braimah said the government needed to recognise the economic realities driving many young people into the activity.

He said that simply removing millions of people from mining sites without providing an alternative would be difficult, given that many depended on the activity for their livelihoods and survival.

“The truth is that you are not just going to be able to flush out these millions of young people from the pits. And it has become a matter of life and survival,” he said.

He therefore proposed a more organised approach in which miners could be brought together into groups, properly regulated and required to follow responsible mining practices.

He believes this would help the authorities exercise greater control over mining activities while addressing the economic concerns of people who depend on the sector.

Mr Braimah, however, cautioned that implementing such a system would not be easy, saying that the complexity of the galamsey crisis required sustained commitment and practical solutions.

“Even that, it is not going to be easy. But of course, if it was going to be easy, then we wouldn't be talking about it here. It is because we acknowledge that it is not easy that we are discussing and we've been discussing for years,” he said.