Mahama gov’t repeating Akufo-Addo-era mistakes in galamsey fight – Erastus Asare Donkor

Investigative and Environmental Journalist at the Multimedia Group Limited, Erastus Asare Donkor, says the John Mahama administration is repeating many of the approaches used by the previous Akufo-Addo government in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, the government's response has not been sufficiently different or forceful to match the scale of environmental destruction, despite some progress made by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, during a discussion on the Mahama administration's fight against galamsey, Mr Asare Donkor said the country appeared to be repeating past mistakes rather than adopting a more effective strategy.

Asked how the current government's approach compared with the initial stages of the eight-year Akufo-Addo administration, he said, “Basically, we are doing the same thing, aside from the strategy that maybe NAIMOS may be adopting now under the current leadership. That may be slightly different.”

He said that although the previous administration failed to give the problem the attention it deserved, the current government was also not matching its public statements with action.

“The previous administration treated this issue with kid gloves. They did not listen to anybody. The current administration, though they listen, they act differently, contrary to what they say,” he stated.

Mr Asare Donkor said a government genuinely committed to ending illegal mining must deploy all the resources available to it, including personnel, equipment, logistics and funding.

Using the military analogy, he explained that defeating an enemy required a well-resourced strategy informed by a proper understanding of the threat.

“In the military, if you want to defeat an enemy, you put all your arsenals, you bring in the weapons, you study the enemy, and you bring out everything that you have to deal with it. We are not seeing that,” he said.

He complained that personnel assigned to combat illegal mining often lacked the basic resources needed to operate effectively.

According to him, the officers require pick-up vehicles, equipment, canoes, and logistics to reach affected communities, as well as money to fuel vehicles and support personnel deployed in remote areas.

He alleged that the officers sometimes had to plead for resources, only to receive small amounts that were eventually exhausted.

“They need money to fuel vehicles, to pay soldiers in the bushes. And sometimes they have to go and beg, and then a little part of the resources are released to them, just as it has been released now. And then after some time, it goes away,” he said.

“We are not doing much as we are talking about. The seriousness is not being seen,” he added.

When asked why he continued to visit illegal mining sites despite the risks involved, Mr Asare Donkor said he considered documenting environmental destruction a responsibility to future generations.

“It's my duty. I feel that I have to do this for generations unborn. At least that's my job, to document it. So, I'll do it,” he said.

He noted that investigative reporting helped to draw attention to the destruction of several forest reserves and said sustained media coverage had contributed to efforts to protect some of them.

He cited the Tano Anwia and Tano Nimri forest areas, as well as Yor Yor, Boi River and the Jimera Extension, as places where consistent reporting had helped keep illegal mining activities in the public eye.

“If we had not done the consistent reporting on Tano Anwia, that forest would have been gone by now,” he said.

He also welcomed efforts by the Ghana Gold Board to reclaim 50 hectares of the affected forest, although he noted that a significant portion of the 192 hectares destroyed remained to be recovered.

Mr Asare Donkor further disclosed that more than 150 excavators had been seized from illegal mining areas, including Tano Anwia, Tano Nimri, Yor Yor and Boi River, with some currently parked at Samreboi.

He described these developments as important gains in the fight but warned that new methods of illegal mining were threatening progress made in protecting forest reserves.