Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called for sweeping reforms in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey), including the confiscation of lands where the activity occurs and sanctions against chiefs who allow it.
According to Mr. Bentil, chiefs as custodians of the land cannot escape responsibility for the destruction galamsey is causing across the country.
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“Chiefs are trustees of our lands. If you allow galamsey on your land, that land should be nationalised. You lose it, and it reverts to the state. You should no longer have rights over it,” he argued.
Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, Mr. Bentil stated that traditional rulers, district authorities, and regional ministers must be held accountable for the illegal activity taking place under their watch.
“This is an existential problem for Ghana. If you are a District Chief Executive and we find galamsey in your district, you should lose your job. Why is that difficult? You cannot preside over the biggest problem in your area and do nothing,” he said.
Mr. Bentil urged the government to take bold measures to end galamsey, warning that the menace is eating away at the country’s future.
He proposed immediate steps such as: Banning the importation of excavators for non-construction use; Declaring galamsey-prone areas as security zones to allow the military to intervene decisively, and nationalising lands polluted by illegal mining.
Despite the devastating environmental and social cost of galamsey, Mr. Bentil accused successive governments of lacking the courage to confront the problem.
The IMANI Veep argued that calls for the declaration of a state of emergency would be fruitless unless there is a will to expose and punish all those benefiting from it. He stressed that the government cannot roam forest reserves, stopping galamsey when the responsibility falls squarely on the chiefs who own these forests and lands, regional ministers and chief executives.
“There is no political will because those in charge of stopping galamsey are the ones benefiting from it. Until we see firm actions like these, all the talk of a state of emergency is just rhetoric,” he warned.
Mr. Bentil maintained that until traditional leaders and political authorities face real consequences, illegal mining will continue to thrive and endanger Ghana’s future.