President John Dramani Mahama has urged chiefs and traditional leaders to support the government’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, stressing the need to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for communities affected by the crackdown. He made the appeal when he met members of the Western North Regional House of Chiefs at the Jubilee House in Accra.
The President emphasised that the support of traditional authorities was crucial to the success of the anti-galamsey campaign, given their close ties with local communities and their influence in areas where illegal mining remains prevalent. He called for greater cooperation among the government, traditional leaders and security agencies to tackle the environmental damage and security concerns associated with illegal mining.
President Mahama commended the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) for its efforts but expressed concern over instances in which enforcement officers face resistance from residents and some traditional authorities during their operations. He warned that such confrontations could undermine efforts to curb illegal mining and lead to violent incidents, underscoring the need for chiefs and community leaders to support enforcement activities to achieve lasting results.
“We need the help of our chiefs in the fight against galamsey because you live in the community with the people, and sometimes NAIMOS is doing a good job, but sometimes we go into some communities and the youth and the traditional authorities and everybody fight back at NAIMOS,” he said. He further noted that some confrontations had resulted in security personnel discharging firearms, leading to fatalities.
“There are incidents where the soldiers have had to discharge firearms, which resulted in a few deaths. We want to avoid that, and so if we can get the collaboration of our chiefs to help in the fight against illegal mining, especially in our forest reserves and in our water bodies,” he added. The President’s appeal comes as the government intensifies efforts to combat illegal mining, particularly in forest reserves and areas where mining activities threaten rivers and other vital water bodies.
