Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Ing. Ken Ashigbey, has called on the government to arrest and prosecute local government officials and security heads involved in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday, June 20, Dr. Ashigbey urged President John Dramani Mahama and Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine to act decisively against individuals in high-ranking positions who are fueling illegal mining activities across the country.
“If any DCE, MCE, police commander and others have been arrested by this time relating to galamsey, if all those people that the media has named had been arrested and prosecution has taken place, you will be shocked that people will stop doing it,” he said.
He stressed that political will is key to deterring others and cleaning up the mining sector, adding that many culprits continue to operate with impunity because of their political links.
“His Excellency the President and the Attorney General need to be decisive to ensure that we are dealing with the politically connected people,” he stated.
Dr. Ashigbey also advocated for deeper investigations and intelligence-gathering to uncover the hidden figures behind galamsey operations, calling on journalists and national security to intensify their roles.
His comments follow the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Tong Defa’s defence that Chinese nationals should not be blamed for fuelling illegal mining in the country.
Ambassador Defa noted that Chinese individuals do not have the legal authority to obtain mining licenses and are usually brought in by Ghanaian sponsors.
