We won’t give up on galamsey fight, it’s a process, not an event – Mahama

President John Mahama has described the nation’s fight against illegal gold mining as a process that will take some time to see through, and not an event.

Addressing reporters during a media encounter on Wednesday night, the president said the damage caused in the last eight years has worsened Ghana’s fortunes in nipping the issue in the bud.

According to President Mahama, the menace remained an economic problem that required economic solutions as part of a strategy to ensure the country is successful in tackling it.

“There is no magic wand. “It’s going to take a lot of work to overcome it, and I didn’t expect that in eighteen months, we will declare victory in the fight [against galamsey].

“As the livelihood of about four million Ghanaians is on small-scale mining, it is going to be a process, it’s not going to be an event, but we will not give up,” the president, who stood behind the lectern, stressed to journalists.

He said the Ghana Goldbod was established as part of measures to ensure that locals benefited primarily from the proceeds of small-scale mining.

“In six months, we have exported [gold worth] over $6bn. About $4bn of that money was going to go into the pockets of foreign traders,” he said.

On addressing illegal mining through the Goldbod, he said the company had liaised with a tracking firm to pursue bad actors mining without due permits.

He said such tracing will also allow the government to assist small-scale miners to do their business responsibly.

President John Mahama said the government is focused on long-term restoration efforts.

“Our tree for life initiative is being actively rolled out across the country, targeting the restoration of lands degraded by legal mining activities.”

He assured citizens that accountability remains central to his leadership.

“My friends understand that public accountability and the recovery of looted state resources are the top of your expectations from my government, and let me assure you, my fellow citizens, that we’ve not wavered in our commitment for even a moment, neither have we been complacent.”