The Coalition Against Galamsey Ghana (CAGG) has challenged the government’s assertion that the era of impunity in illegal mining has ended, insisting that enforcement remains uneven and that powerful individuals involved in galamsey continue to evade prosecution.
In a statement issued in Accra on Monday, the coalition acknowledged some gains made by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and its allied agencies but warned that Ghana’s forests, rivers, and mining communities remain under severe threat.
> “The evidence on the ground says otherwise,” CAGG said, disagreeing with recent remarks by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, that the era of impunity was over.
The coalition, led by its Convener, Kenneth Ashigbey, argued that illegal mining activities remain rampant in parts of the Eastern Region, particularly in Apedwa, Anyinam, and Osino, and questioned what it described as selective enforcement against offenders.
According to CAGG, Ghana’s natural resources can only be protected through sustained, fearless, and impartial enforcement that applies equally to all individuals, regardless of political or economic influence.
The group commended the government for revoking Executive Instrument (EI) 144, as amended by EI 234, which had degazetted portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve, describing the move as a significant step toward preserving one of Accra’s critical ecological assets.
However, it expressed concern over the continued destruction of major forest reserves, including the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, Cape Three Points Forest Reserve, Afao Hills Forest Reserve, and the Draw River Forest Reserve.
CAGG renewed its call on President John Dramani Mahama to fulfil his longstanding commitment to designate the Atewa Range Forest Reserve as a National Park, arguing that such a move would protect a vital water source for more than five million Ghanaians.
The coalition also urged the government to strengthen the Forestry Commission by providing more personnel, resources, and protected camps within forest reserves, while supporting calls for a more militarised approach to combating illegal mining in protected areas.
On enforcement, CAGG questioned why no major politically exposed persons linked to illegal mining had been successfully prosecuted, despite repeated promises to target the kingpins behind the illicit trade.
The coalition further called on the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to publish the outcomes of investigations into government officials implicated in illegal mining and urged the authorities to make public the findings of the Professor Frimpong-Boateng Report.
CAGG also demanded transparency from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) over allegations that seized equipment, including motorbikes, is being returned to illegal miners after payments are made.
> “If this is true, it is shameful, and it is an affront to the integrity of NAIMOS and to the very mandate it was set up to fulfil,” the coalition stated.
Additionally, the group called for stricter controls on the movement of excavators and the suspension of fuel supplies to illegal mining operators.
CAGG warned that Ghana faces grave environmental consequences if decisive action is not taken.
> “We either deal with this menace, or we perish because, without clean water, clean air, and standing forests, we are done as a people,” the coalition said.
