Dr Jamal Tonzo Seidu, an Energy and Environmental Law & Sustainability Consultant, has revealed that the military has not been given the necessary support and freedom to effectively combat illegal mining (galamsey) in Ghana.
Speaking on Citi FM‘s “Citi Breakfast Show” on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Dr Seidu expressed that while soldiers have been deployed in good faith, their ability to succeed in the fight against illegal mining has been hampered by logistical challenges and inadequate resources.
He further argued that the military has never been given a free hand to lead the fight against galamsey and instead accused the government of engaging in “window dressing” rather than a genuine effort to tackle the problem head-on.
“The soldiers are operating in good faith, but I told you they have logistical constraints. Back in the day, they needed more troopers, did they get the troopers? They said they needed some low beds; did they get them? They needed to have their own military officer prosecute these cases; did they get to prosecute these cases?
“What happened to the exhibits they had got? It is laughable when you hear 20 chanfans, and other equipment being destroyed. There were 500 excavators mobilised as court exhibits but the law at the time was that anyone that you convict, irrespective of the equipment on the site, the equipment shall be confiscated by the state; that was the law.
“I mean if we had enforced the law in that manner, we wouldn’t be where we are today. So, I am just saying that the military has never been given a free hand to fight this. It has just been a shared, window dressing,” he stated.
