Corruption, political missteps undermining ‘Galamsey’ fight – Asantehene warns

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has attributed corruption and political miscalculations as major factors behind the failure of the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as ‘galamsey’.

He believes these challenges have undermined national efforts over the years to clamp down on the menace despite repeated interventions.

Speaking at the Global Mining Summit held in Accra on Monday, June 2, the Asantehene warned that the continuous destruction of water bodies through illegal mining poses a serious threat to the country’s environment and future.

He called for urgent and sustained action to halt the illegal activities.

“The pollution of our water bodies, the destruction of our forests and the degradation of our virgin lands cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. It cannot be denied that the cocktail of regulatory failures, political miscalculation and corruption has combined to make the curbing of the menace more challenging. We have the opportunity to calmly dissect the policy options and tools available to deal with the problem,” he said.

He also described the government’s introduction of Gold for Oil (Gold4Oil) as a positive initiative that opens new horizons for the mining industry, with the potential to attract increased investment and boost production yields.

“The emergence of the new Goldbod is a creative initiative we need for the rise of the industry, increasing the prospect for more investment and higher yields. It injects a new urgency to the challenges we are trying to address,” he said.