Galamsey fight remains ineffective despite NAIMOS arrests and seizures – Awula Serwah

The Executive Director of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, says Ghana has made little meaningful progress in the fight against illegal mining, warning that the country remains at risk of an ecological catastrophe.

She argues that despite government announcements of arrests and the confiscation of mining equipment, illegal mining activities continue to threaten rivers and other natural resources.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, October 31, she questioned whether politically connected individuals involved in illegal mining were being arrested and prosecuted.

“We talk about arrests, but how many politically connected persons or so-called high fliers have actually been arrested and prosecuted?” she asked.

Ms Serwah also expressed concern that chanfang machines and excavators continued to find their way onto water bodies and into mining areas, despite the government’s enforcement operations.

She further questioned the effectiveness of the planned reclamation of degraded lands, insisting that the government must demonstrate how its interventions are producing lasting environmental improvements.

“So from where we are sitting and our activists up and down the country, we cannot say that things have become better and we still face a national emergency, and we are still on the verge of an ecological catastrophe,” she said.

Her comments come amid renewed government efforts to intensify the fight against galamsey. President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that more than 8,200 items used in illegal mining, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms, have been confiscated. He has also announced plans to reclaim 5,000 acres of degraded land from 2027, with GH¢200 million allocated for the exercise.

However, Ms Serwah’s assessment raises questions about whether enforcement, equipment seizures and reclamation plans are sufficient to dismantle illegal mining networks and protect Ghana’s water bodies and forests.