Chiefs hold the key to ending galamsey– Sulemana Braimah

Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has stressed that Ghana’s battle against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, will only be successful if traditional leaders take the lead.

He argued that government efforts alone cannot eradicate the menace, as chiefs wield the real authority over mining communities and lands.

“At this point, I believe our chiefs perhaps have much more to do than even the politicians,” he said. “Some of our very influential chiefs — the ones we hold in high esteem — if they were to rise one day and declare ‘enough is enough,’ no more illegal mining or even mining on my land, whether people have concessions, large, medium, or small scale, and insist for just one month that there should be no mining, I believe everyone would have no choice but to pause,” Mr. Braimah stated on JoyNews’ AM Show on Wednesday, monitored by Today.com.gh.

He urged stronger engagement with traditional leaders to drive action at the local level, warning that political efforts will continue to falter if chiefs are complicit.

“And so I think we should really engage with our chiefs so that we can have them save us; otherwise, the way things are going, people will point to the fact that once the chiefs are involved, and chiefs are allowing it, the politicians can do nothing,” he cautioned.

Mr. Braimah emphasised that the authority of chiefs over lands and their moral influence within communities make them critical actors in protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable mining practices.

The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its nationwide clampdown on illegal mining, arresting three Chinese nationals during a targeted operation at Hiawa Koofrom in the Western Region.

The operation, conducted after credible intelligence was received from an informant, also led to the seizure of a pump-action shotgun with four cartridges, a Nissan Navara pickup, and two excavators believed to have been used in destructive mining along the Ankobrah River.

According to the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Ofosu-Kwakye, the task force acted swiftly on a tip-off that included the GPS coordinates of the illegal mining site.

The team reportedly left for Hiawa Koofrom at about 9:10 a.m. and arrived to find both Chinese and Ghanaian miners operating illegally along the river.

However, several suspects managed to flee into the forest after being alerted by local motorbike riders about the approaching task force. Despite this, three Chinese nationals were apprehended at the site.

Mr Ofosu-Kwakye noted that the task force also confiscated mobile phones belonging to the suspects and uncovered large heaps of sand and paydirt, clear evidence of widespread environmental degradation along the Ankobrah River.

He described the raid as another major success in the government’s ongoing fight against illegal mining, emphasizing that the operation demonstrates NAIMOS’s resolve to protect Ghana’s water bodies and natural resources.

“The intelligence-led action at Hiawa Koofrom reflects our commitment to dismantling illegal mining networks that continue to destroy the environment,” the minister said.