Eastern Region Minister sounds alarm on Galamsey's devastating impact

Accra, Ghana - Eastern Regional Minister Seth Acheampong has highlighted the escalating challenges in the fight against illegal mining, also known as galamsey. Despite President Akufo-Addo's intensified efforts to protect Ghana's water bodies, the region remains plagued by destructive mining activities.

In a revealing interview on JoyNews' PM Express, Acheampong shared a striking example of how a task force was overwhelmed by 400 heavily armed illegal miners.

The minister emphasized the government's commitment to the fight but acknowledged the complexity of the issue.

“Our task force, made up of military, immigration, police, and intelligence officers, was simply outnumbered,” Mr Acheampong said, adding, “We were about 30 men, and they were 400.”

“Fighting illegal miners is not as easy as sitting around this table discussing it. People think it’s just about going in with guns and clearing them out, but it's much more complicated,” he explained.

The scale of destruction caused by galamsey is staggering, particularly around water bodies.

Civil society organizations have called for a state of emergency, but Acheampong defended the government's approach, citing the difficulty in dealing with the sheer number of miners.

"Our main fight is on the water bodies because it’s where the biggest issue lies. The water feeds all of us, and if it gets totally destroyed, we’ll face a crisis of food shortages and loss of lives," the minister stated in response.

“There’s a lot of misinformation. We don’t retreat because we don’t want to fight. It’s because we’re sometimes outnumbered. How do 30 security personnel fight off 400 armed men?” he asked.

A disturbing trend has emerged, with many illegal miners being non-Ghanaians.

Acheampong noted that arresting these individuals poses additional challenges due to diplomatic complexities.

“Unfortunately, most of the people in the pits today are not Ghanaians. That’s the sad part. We arrest them, and when processing them, we try to engage their embassies, but sometimes they are overwhelmed too,” Mr Acheampong lamented.

While progress has been made, Acheampong admitted that more support is needed. He welcomed President Akufo-Addo's recent directives but remained cautious about the challenges ahead.

Source: Lead News Online