What is the cause of Galamsey today, Unemployment or Greediness?

 Today, I hear many people raised awareness regarding the state of our water bodies as a result of galamsey and its related activities. Others have resorted to the “normal - abnormal ill” of playing dirty political games with a menace of national interest. They are playing the blame game of attacking each other (political parties) only to neglect the problem at the end of the day.

So I asked “Are we now seeing the devouring effects of galamsey or we are most concerned because this is visible and open to the public eye”

The effects of illegal mining existed before today, so what have we done to curb the problem over the years. I remember in 2006 the government passed the Mineral and Mining Act which “reserved” small scale mining for Ghanaian citizens and instituted the Alternative Livelihood and Community Mining Program which sought to diversify sources o livelihood in mining areas but because of widespread corruption among government or national officials, local officials, and citizens, the implementation failed and was unsuccessful. And this has not changed till today, many governments passed and little or no attention was given to the devouring effects of galamsey. 

     In November 13, 2009 a collapsed mined at Dampoase killed at least 18 workers including 13 women. There have been other instances of dangers posed by galamsey and its related activities; the continuous death of individuals, the pollution of community water bodies and destruction of farmlands and farm jobs before this day but what have we done – even the government who tend to launch an open fight against galamsey have gone contrary to the 2006 Mineral and mining Act. Galamsey is now owned by some few government officials and opened to their close allies. Isn’t this sheer greediness and wickedness wrapped to appear as a solution? 

   Unemployment and lack of job security has been labeled as the major cause of galamsey in Ghana but is illegal mining engineered by the unemployed you or they are only used by some officials to eternize their wicked agendas?

   They bigger pictures of the effects of this act we are seeing today is as a result of our collective neglects( instead of sparking conversations on the effects of galamsey, we prefer to talk about frivolous issues that will earn us nothing) and petty political blame games in the past – this problem came from remote and immediate causes and so we all are to be blamed. 

As much as the problem seems to be all inclusive, the solution must as well be all inclusive. Let’s all contribute to the solution and rather than apportioning blames.

Long live Ghana - long live Africa!!

🗝Written by: Adatsi Brownson