Gov’t going round in circles in the fight against galamsey – Erastus Asare Donkor

Galamsey is Ghana’s widely used term for illegal small-scale gold mining. It refers to mining carried out without the required legal authority or outside approved rules. It matters because illegal operations can avoid the oversight meant to protect land, water, workers, and nearby communities. The article focuses on how Ghana is trying to stop it, rather than defining the word itself.

The article describes galamsey as a national menace requiring the full commitment and resources of the state. Erastus Asare Donkor argues that enforcement must continue after task-force personnel leave. He also says local authorities should be held responsible for mining in their jurisdictions.

The article does not list the specific legal requirements that make an operation illegal. In general, the term concerns unauthorised mining, while the government’s response involves NAIMOS, local security councils, monitoring, and accountability. Donkor warns that weak follow-through allows illegal mining to return.

Donkor’s central criticism is that Ghana’s current government is moving in circles. He says its fight against illegal mining is largely similar to the previous Akufo-Addo administration’s approach. The concern matters because repeating methods that have not ended galamsey may waste enforcement resources and allow illegal miners to keep returning.

He identifies one possible difference: NAIMOS may be using a slightly different strategy under its current leadership. Apart from that, he says the government is “basically” doing the same thing. He contrasts the administrations’ attitudes. The previous government allegedly ignored stakeholder concerns, while the current government appears more willing to listen.

However, Donkor says the current government acts differently from what it says publicly. In his view, that gap raises doubts about its commitment and urgency. He calls for the state to deploy all necessary resources and to hold MMDCEs accountable for activities in their areas.

The article gives no national estimate, map, number of sites, or list of the worst-affected regions. Therefore, it cannot establish the overall scale of galamsey or say which parts of Ghana suffer most. It does show that the problem is spread across district and municipal jurisdictions, where local authorities are expected to know the terrain.

Donkor says MMDCEs know “every nook and cranny” of their local areas. He argues that they should help identify illegal mining operations and police their own jurisdictions. His warning is practical: NAIMOS can clear an area temporarily, but miners may return once task-force personnel leave.

The current reality presented is therefore one of recurring local operations, not a measured national scale. The article’s evidence points to a monitoring and accountability problem. It does not provide enough information to compare regions or calculate how widespread galamsey is. Any regional ranking would require evidence beyond this article.

NAIMOS is presented as a task force involved in enforcing the fight against illegal mining. The article does not spell out the organisation’s full name or complete mandate. MMDCEs are Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives. They chair security councils in their respective areas and are responsible for local administrative jurisdictions.

Donkor says MMDCEs are well placed to identify illegal mining because they know the local terrain. He warns that relying heavily on NAIMOS could send the task force on a “wild goose chase” if local authorities are not required to police their own areas. NAIMOS may remove miners, but local oversight must continue afterward.

His proposed mechanism is shared responsibility. NAIMOS provides enforcement, while MMDCEs help identify operations, monitor areas, and answer for what happens locally. Donkor says the President should hold his appointees accountable. Without that accountability, enforcement gains may disappear when task-force personnel leave.

The article describes enforcement as temporary when it is not followed by local monitoring. A task force may target an area and disrupt illegal mining, but the improvement will not last automatically. Once enforcement personnel leave, illegal miners can return. This makes repeated operations costly and weakens confidence in the government’s strategy.

Donkor gives the clearest mechanism: NAIMOS cannot permanently police every community by itself. MMDCEs chair local security councils and know the terrain, so they should continue monitoring after a task force withdraws. If they are not held responsible, the same sites may be reoccupied.

The result, he warns, is that an area can come “back to zero.” In other words, the gains from enforcement are quickly lost. His proposed solution is sustained oversight and accountability. The President should require appointees to answer for conditions in their jurisdictions, rather than treating each operation as a standalone response.

The article identifies several elements in Ghana’s response: enforcement operations, NAIMOS, local security councils, and government-led strategies under successive administrations. Donkor says the current government is mostly repeating the previous Akufo-Addo administration’s approach. He suggests that a possible exception is a slightly different strategy being adopted by NAIMOS’s current leadership.

The main failure is not simply the absence of enforcement. It is the lack of lasting follow-through. Donkor says illegal miners can return after task-force personnel leave. He also criticises the failure to make MMDCEs responsible for policing their jurisdictions, even though they know local areas and chair security councils.

He further argues that governments have not matched words with action or supplied the full resources needed. The previous administration allegedly ignored stakeholder concerns, while the current one listens but acts contrary to its promises. Donkor therefore calls for sustained monitoring, stronger accountability, and full state commitment.

The article does not specifically describe how galamsey harms rivers, forests, farmland, or public health. It calls illegal mining a menace and focuses on government responsibility, enforcement, and accountability. The requested environmental and health explanation therefore comes from established knowledge about uncontrolled mining, not from details in this article.

In general, mining can clear vegetation, remove soil, disturb farmland, and damage forest habitats. Sediment and mining chemicals can enter rivers, reducing water quality. Dust, polluted water, unsafe pits, and exposure to hazardous substances can also threaten human health. These risks become harder to control when operations are unauthorised.

The article’s key point is that enforcement must be sustained. If miners return after NAIMOS leaves, environmental damage and related risks can resume. Donkor says MMDCEs should monitor their jurisdictions and be held accountable. Stronger local oversight would help prevent temporary enforcement gains from disappearing.