“Government is a little conflicted in its fight against galamsey, it’s not taking it seriously” – Cadman Mills

The government’s strategy for fighting illegal mining (galamsey) has come under fire from Dr. Cadman Atta Mills, a prominent economist and the brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

He said that the government is not doing enough to address the threat when speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show (SMS) today, September 23. He supports this claim with considerations related to both public health and the economy.

“I think we have to call the government to task. I see, and maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. That really, the government is a little conflicted in its fight against galamsey. It’s not taking it seriously,” he lamented.

Dr. Mills claims that the government’s seeming hesitancy is due to the substantial financial gain it receives from the galamsey trade.

He claims that foreign exchange profits are being transferred into official channels when they would otherwise be lost to the unorganized sector.

The government takes pride in the fact that this foreign exchange inflow contributes to the stabilization of the Ghanaian Cedi’s value.

“They feel comfortable about buying gold from so-called licensed makers,” he said.

He contends that these “licensed makers are not even miners” instead of “bankrolling galamsey by buying excavators, by buying pumps… and giving it to small people to do the galamsey.”

He referred to the government’s own unrealistic goal of 160 tonnes of gold from the industry this year as a “death knell” for the nation. Dr. Mills emphasized that mining with an exploration license is a blatant violation of protocol that has to be addressed.

He emphasized that an exploratory license does not provide the holder the authority to start mining activities, even while it permits advanced geological surveys to assess the size and economic feasibility of a deposit. That this is taking place and has essentially been “accepted” is a serious scandal.

Citing the devastating effects on future generations, the economist also presented an ominous picture of the human cost of illegal mining operations. He cautioned that contaminated water sources can cause “heavy metals and developmental retardation” in newborns.

There is no way to reverse this significant and enduring impact. His goal in declaring a state of emergency in the impacted areas is to make it very evident that “look, we are not playing around.”

According to Mills, the battle against galamsey is a systemic governance failing rather than a dispute between an artisanal, small-scale livelihood and the environment.

He vehemently disagreed with the idea that environmental degradation is a “sacrifice we have to make” in order to maintain economic stability.

“No, it’s a sacrifice that we don’t have to make,” he said, calling for a strong political resolve to uphold the law and safeguard Ghana’s future.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com