Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Kwasi Amoafo, a prominent lecturer, author, and preacher, has called for increased government regulation of Ghana’s mining sector as a solution to the country’s growing youth unemployment crisis.
In an interview on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle, Dr. Amoafo highlighted the frustration many Ghanaian youth feel over their inability to benefit from the country’s abundant natural resources.
This frustration, he noted, has driven many to seek better opportunities abroad, fueled by poverty, unemployment, and perceived mismanagement of national resources.
Dr. Amoafo advocated for stricter regulation of the mining industry to create employment opportunities for the country’s youth. He proposed that the government invest in technology to benefit mining communities, ensuring a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the state and local residents.
He argued that with the adoption of modern technologies, Ghana can preserve its natural resources while enabling communities to engage in sustainable mining practices. Government oversight, he stressed, is crucial in preventing unchecked land degradation and water pollution often associated with illegal mining activities.
To further boost economic growth, Dr. Amoafo suggested the establishment of a government-backed entity to purchase gold from local communities, offer financing for mining equipment, and promote broader economic development.
He firmly believes that through regulatory reforms and strategic investments, Ghana can optimize its mining sector, create jobs, and protect its natural resources for future generations.
“The thinking I get is that if the government is not going to empower us through this natural resource, we will empower ourselves. And so, behind the gold rush, is that thinking. In my view, the government should 1: regulate that sector, and 2, empower the communities with intermediate technology.
“There are some small-scale equipment you can use for gold extraction which do not destroy the environment and do not include the use of mercury to pollute waterways. There’s a technology like that, if the government would invest in that technology, give to the communities. If we create the Ghana Gold Marketing Board, for example, the government will then purchase all the gold produced from these communities, through artisanal mining, which will be mined with the equipment the government has provided.
“The difference between what the government will sell the gold for and what they buy from the people like cocoa. It can be used to finance the equipment that has been given to the communities. So, you have a win-win situation, you have communities that are empowered to benefit from the natural resources of gold. Communities that are doing so in a way that will not damage the economy, will be contributing to the economy, and the government will be providing sustainable skills for the people. But not to just leave it like this for the people to go and try to figure it out, with mercury and poisonous ways in which it has been done.”
Rev. Dr. Amoafo called on the church to proactively engage with government stakeholders to develop effective solutions to the mining sector’s pressing challenges.
“I think it’s something that the church really needs to stand up as a body that will actively engage with the government and say that listen there’s nothing wrong with gold extraction, but get involved as a government. Help the people to do it in ways that will not create damage to the environment from what we’re currently seeing.
