Prof Christopher Gordon, former Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences, has urged the government to learn from other countries in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking at the “Achimota Speaks” event in Accra on Wednesday, November 13, Professor Gordon suggested that Ghana could benefit from the experiences of countries like Ecuador, Kenya, and Colombia, which have faced similar challenges but managed to address them effectively.
He advised Ghanaian leaders to engage in peer-to-peer learning with these nations.
Prof Gordon also expressed concerns about the lack of political will and effective collaboration in tackling the issue.
He noted “So, I say the solution is in Ghana, first is good governance, and political will. When you look at that intersection between openness, transparency, integrity, performance, and effective collaboration that will create good governance. None of it is working properly.
“We also need to do some peer-to-peer learning because Ghana is not alone in facing this problem. Many countries have been through what we are going through now. Columbia, Ecuador, burning excavators in Ecuador, even Kenya, so why don’t we just go, and see how these countries have solved the problem and learn from them?
“From a practical viewpoint, this is not academic, this is not theory, they had a problem, and they managed to solve it and it’s not just these countries.”
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