Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, a statesman, is advocating for bold action to combat galamsey, Ghana’s pervasive illegal mining commonly known as galamsey.
He suggests deploying a whole battalion to tackle the problem, citing the inadequacy of the current military force of less than 200 soldiers to address the scale of the operation nationwide.
This comes after the government’s Operation Halt II, which seized 10 water pumps and burned 13 changfan machines, yet failed to deter illegal miners, who reportedly resumed activities shortly after the military intervention.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe criticised the government’s short-term measures, emphasising the need for a sustained military presence in galamsey-prone areas.
His proposals follow President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s challenge to the former President and National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate to declare their stance on illegal mining.
“A company, which is less than 200 soldiers, cannot handle this operation. You need a whole battalion for that. If you keep on doing that for a while, they might not even return at all,” he said during an interview with TV3.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe further urged the government to declare a state of emergency on all surface mining, river bodies, and forests as soon as possible.
“Licence or no licence, we must stop all surface mining as soon as possible.”
