Ama Mawusi, Director of Communications at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has dismissed claims that the government has failed in its fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, she said the National Alternative Illegal Mining Operations Strategy (NAIMOS) continues to make progress, even if results take time.
“We have not failed when it comes to the fight against galamsey. Once NAIMOS receives information, they deploy personnel to investigate and design a strategy to combat it. The team was supposed to go last week but faced a challenge. They have now been redeployed and are set to act,” she explained.
However, Environmental Journalist Erastus Asare Donkor expressed disagreement on the same show. He criticised what he described as bureaucratic delays that undermine field operations.
“If we have a plan, the taskforce should be able to respond quickly when there is a problem. Instead, we rely on a process that takes days or weeks to act. Every single day spent by illegal miners in forest reserves brings devastation we cannot reverse,” he said, warning that delayed action exacerbates deforestation and land degradation.
Mr. Asare added that despite consistently sharing reports with authorities, including the Ahwiafutu situation he posted about two weeks ago, no concrete action has been taken.
“This is taking forever. The more we delay, the more devastation is caused,” he stressed.
The remarks come amid growing concerns over the pace of government’s response to illegal mining, with communities continuing to bear the brunt of its impact.
Source: Gertrude Otchere
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