The Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital, Sir Sam Jonah, has emphasized that efforts to end illegal gold mining, popularly known as galamsey, will not succeed without the active involvement of traditional leaders.
His comments come as civil society groups and other stakeholders urge the government to declare a state of emergency in mining-prone areas to tackle the persistent problem.
Speaking at a fireside chat organized by the School of Communications Studies at the University of Wisconsin in Accra, the celebrated businessman stressed that the challenge is not a lack of legislation but the failure to enforce existing laws.
“The laws are there; you are not allowed to mine in forest reserves, and if you do, you have to clean up. So, it is not that we need more laws; we need more enforcement,” he said.
He added, “You can only enforce effectively when there is an important element missing in all of it, which is the involvement of traditional leaders and the community.”
