FORGET WEAK LAWS — Ghana’s Real Galamsey Problem Is Complicity and Politics, Prof Reveals!
Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, who formerly held the position of Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, has called for a nationwide accord about the practice of sustainable mining in Ghana. In his address during the twentieth annual Kronti ne Akwamu Democracy and Governance Public Lecture, which was themed “Galamsey: A Country in Search of Solutions in Plain Sight,” he stated that the current issue of illegal mining continues to exist not because of weak laws but rather as a result of inadequate enforcement, local complicity, and political interference. He drew attention to the fact that Ghana is missing out on a number of economic prospects in its forests because it is concentrating its efforts too narrowly on gold. In addition, he emphasized that if gold is to be extracted, it is imperative that this be done in a sustainable manner that takes the environment into consideration. In spite of the fact that there have been 1,190 arrests since 2023, only 35 of those cases have been successful, which demonstrates that enforcement is weak, there is a lack of political will, and there are problems at the institutional level. In order to identify and put into practice answers that were both difficult and important, Frimpong-Boateng, a professor, called for a national conversation.
