A five-year national security risk assessment has identified only the Volta and Greater Accra regions as being free from the scourge of illegal mining, known as galamsey. The study reveals the widespread nature of the crisis, with six of Ghana’s original ten regions experiencing aggressive, inappropriate mining operations.
Security consultant Richard Kumadoe, presenting the findings, stressed that the scale of the threat demands a forceful national response, such as the ongoing National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations (NAIMOS) task force.
“Out of the original ten regions, only two have no galamsey. Another two have minimal activity, but six face aggressive illegal mining,” Kumadoe stated on Channel One TV.
He outlined NAIMOS’s three core objectives: to destroy illegal mining operations, prevent access to sites, and curtail all related activities. Kumadoe scored the task force’s performance as “very high” so far, citing its warnings and enforcement actions.
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has vowed to intensify pressure on the government for more decisive action. The TUC sharply criticized the government’s continued stakeholder engagements with CSOs as ineffective, promising to unveil new measures to force the government’s hand.
“Enough of the meetings and advocacy. We need action now. Galamsey must stop,” a TUC representative declared, signaling that the union is preparing for a more confrontational approach to end the environmental destruction.
