Kofi Bentil, Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, has expressed scepticism over the government’s efforts to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, describing the fight as “a lot of activity, but no progress.”
Mr. Bentil argued that despite years of discussions, policy announcements, and the establishment of institutions, galamsey continues to wreak havoc on Ghana’s environment.
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“We’ve talked and talked. I have said all kinds of things, some taken, some not taken. But look, activity is not the same as progress. We are seeing a lot of activity, a lot of talk, but no progress. Galamsey is getting worse, so we don’t need more talk,” he said.
While acknowledging efforts to mobilise gold resources through the establishment of the Goldboard and other initiatives, Mr. Bentil insisted the core issue of illegal mining remains unaddressed.
“Despite all the mountains of talk when this government came in, nothing or not much has been done in terms of stopping galamsey. We’ve passed laws, created institutions, and even mobilised billions of dollars’ worth of gold, but we have not been able to stop galamsey,” he lamented.
He further suggested that the government’s actions indicate more interest in benefiting from galamsey proceeds than eradicating it, concluding that “they have no interest in solving it because they think not solving it has better political benefits for them.”
