Edward Kareweh, the immediate past General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), has expressed deep concern over the long-term environmental and food security impacts of illegal mining, known as galamsey, in Ghana.
His comments followed the recent announcement by Dr. Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, who imposed an immediate ban on the exportation of grains in response to the severe dry spell affecting the northern part of the country.
The minister stated that the ban is a measure to ensure sufficient grain availability in the domestic market.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, August 26, 2024, Kareweh criticized the government’s handling of food security issues. While he acknowledged the necessity of short-term measures like banning grain exports, he argued that these actions are insufficient without addressing the underlying causes of environmental degradation.
Kareweh emphasised the importance of implementing long-term strategies to combat environmental destruction and promote sustainable agriculture. He warned that the ongoing devastation caused by galamsey could have even more severe consequences than the current drought.
“We are even fortunate today that this drought only occurred in the northern part of the country. If it had come to the southern part of the country, it would have been more serious than it is now because we have destroyed the entire southern part of this country with galamsey So, much as we are putting in measures to deal with this disaster and also to guarantee that there is food in the country by banning the exportation of foodstuff and so on, these are temporary measures. The long term measures, we are not addressing them well.
“We also have our own version of climate change and our version is galamsey which is more devastating than the climate change that we know. Because that one is permanent; the lands are destroyed permanently, the forests are destroyed and the rivers are polluted all over. They are more permanent destruction so they are more dangerous than climate change,” he stated.
