Coalition Against Illegal Miners urges crackdown on galamsey leaders
The founder of the Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to take bold and uncompromising steps to crack down on politically exposed persons behind illegal mining operations in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, June 19, 2025, Dr. Ashigbey said the fight against galamsey will remain ineffective unless the government shifts its focus from surface-level arrests to the real financiers and coordinators operating behind the scenes.
“In October last year, His Excellency the President stated that dealing with galamsey is not about the young boys, but about the kingpins. So our call to him is simple: just as he has acted on other promises, he should also act on this one. Go after the politically exposed persons,” he stated.
Dr. Ashigbey urged Ghana’s intelligence community to trace the financial roots of illegal mining, including identifying those who procure and rent out excavators and those who regularly post bail for arrested miners.
He emphasized that such investigations would expose the individuals truly profiting from galamsey.
“There’s a situation currently in the Half Assini area where illegal miners have invested over five million dollars in new excavators and bulldozers to encroach on land that a firm has been prospecting for over a decade; that cannot be called small-scale mining. Who is funding this?” he noted.
Dr. Ashigbey also cited a recent Reuters report estimating that Ghana has lost $11.4 billion to illegal mining over the last five years, underscoring the gravity of the crisis and the cost of inaction.
He reminded the President of his promise to introduce key performance indicators (KPIs) for District Chief Executives and local police commanders to ensure that mining activities are properly regulated at the local level.
“Every regional and district police commander and every DCE in mining-prone areas should have a KPI that says there will be no galamsey in your community,” he stated.
He further called on the government to avoid justifying galamsey on grounds of unemployment or economic need, warning that such excuses only embolden those exploiting the system for personal gain.
“This is not just about illegal mining. It’s about trust in government, national security, and survival. It’s about protecting our water bodies and forest reserves not only for ourselves but for generations to come,” Dr. Ashigbey said.
He stressed that the responsibility of saving Ghana from the grip of galamsey lies not only with leaders but with every citizen.
