Manasseh Azure Slams Gov’t’s Anti-Galamsey Campaign as Empty Talk
Ghanaian journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of the government’s renewed fight against illegal mining, suggesting that the measures being touted are nothing more than recycled failures.
Speaking at a forum organized by Gold Coast University as part of its “Anatomy of Returnee Presidency” series, Manasseh expressed little confidence in the sustainability of current anti-galamsey efforts.
“I’m not very enthused until we get to the implementation.”
According to him, the government’s actions, though publicly visible, lack genuine commitment and substance.
He pointed to the recurring pattern of grand declarations—such as mining bans and environmental restoration programs like tree planting and waterway protection—but emphasized that these have consistently failed in the past.
“Ban illegal mining, launch tree and water initiatives – these are not new. I have done stories about the tree planting in northern Ghana under SADA, and I know it was a failure.”
Citing his own previous investigations into government-led tree planting initiatives in northern Ghana, he remarked that similar projects had ended in total failure.
For Manasseh, the core issue lies in the lack of innovative or bold strategies.
He believes the government continues to rely on the same playbook: deploying security forces, arresting small-time offenders, and ignoring the systemic problems behind illegal mining.
“As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing that is being done differently from what we’ve seen before. It’s still the same approach – send soldiers in, arrest a few people – and in some ways, it’s even worse now.”
Even more troubling, he said, is the alleged soft approach toward foreign nationals, especially Chinese citizens, often involved in galamsey operations.
He claimed the government’s unwritten policy of avoiding their prosecution undermines the seriousness of the entire campaign.
Story by Adwoa S. Danso
