President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has established a five-member ministerial ad-hoc committee to evaluate the government’s ongoing fight against illegal mining, commonly known as “galamsey.”
The committee’s mandate is to review the effectiveness of current measures aimed at addressing the environmental damage caused by illegal mining across the country.
Made up of senior government officials, the committee will assess the strategies and policies in place to halt galamsey activities and recommend necessary reforms to bolster the government’s efforts.
In addition, the committee will investigate the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and local authorities in their battle against illegal mining.
The committee is led by National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah and includes Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor, Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul, Employment Minister Ignatius Baffour Awuah, and Information Minister Fatima Abubakar.
This review is part of the government’s ongoing commitment to protecting the environment and curbing illegal mining, with the committee expected to provide key recommendations that will shape future initiatives.
This move follows previous efforts, including an inter-ministerial task force led by former Environment and Science Minister Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, which ended controversially and led to his resignation as Chair of the Committee.
The new initiative comes amid mounting public pressure, as widespread environmental damage to rivers and forests has raised health concerns and fears of an impending water crisis.