Galamsey Fight Must Rise Above Politics – Erastus Asare Donkor
Investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has warned that the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, continues to suffer because it has been overly politicised, despite its serious health and environmental consequences.
Speaking in an interview with Kofi Boakye on Nkwantannanso on Opemsuo Radio, Mr. Donkor stressed that the effects of galamsey do not discriminate along political lines.
“From a health perspective, the effects of galamsey do not recognise political parties, whether NPP or NDC,” he said.
He pointed to the severe destruction of major water bodies such as the Offin and Oda rivers, noting that political divisions have weakened the collective pressure needed to force leaders to act decisively.
“Unfortunately, we have politicised the issue too much. Because of this, the real pressure we should be putting on leaders to act decisively is missing, and instead, everything is reduced to politics,” he explained.
Mr. Donkor expressed concern about public reactions to state-led enforcement efforts, describing them as troubling and counterproductive.
“When NAIMOS takes action and they appear to be succeeding, some people become unhappy. When they seem to be failing, others are happy. That is very disturbing,” he said, questioning why citizens would celebrate failure in efforts to protect the country’s environment.
He traced the history of government interventions against galamsey, recalling that the previous NPP administration initially took strong action through initiatives such as Operation Vanguard, Operation Halt, and GalamStop between 2017 and 2018.
However, he noted that commitment declined in later years.
“Between 2022 and 2024, the government’s commitment to fighting galamsey declined. Some members of government even became involved in the activity, to the extent that forest reserves were affected,” he stated.
Mr. Donkor said the current NDC government has restarted the fight by setting up the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), arresting offenders and destroying excavators, describing the approach as similar to the early efforts of the previous administration.
“Now, this government has begun by establishing NAIMOS, burning excavators, and arresting offenders. This is similar to how the previous government initially started,” he noted.
He emphasized that the success of the renewed campaign will depend on consistency and political will.
“The big question is whether the government will sustain this effort or eventually relax, as was done in the past. If the government and NAIMOS maintain the momentum they have started with, then we can confidently say that the fight against galamsey can be won.”
