Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has identified corruption and political miscalculations as key obstacles hampering Ghana’s ongoing battle against illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
Addressing participants at the Global Mining Summit in Accra on Monday, June 2, the Asantehene expressed concern over the persistent environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, emphasizing that despite various government interventions, progress remains limited due to entrenched systemic failures.
“The pollution of our water bodies, the destruction of our forests, and the degradation of our virgin lands cannot be allowed to continue unchecked,” he stated. “It is clear that a combination of regulatory failures, political missteps, and corruption has made tackling this menace even more difficult.”
He urged stakeholders to take a more strategic and united approach in combating the crisis, stressing the need to reassess existing policies and adopt more effective tools.
“We have the opportunity to calmly dissect the policy options and tools available to deal with the problem,” he added.
In a more optimistic note, the Asantehene praised the government’s Gold for Oil (Gold4Oil) programme, describing it as a forward-thinking initiative with the potential to rejuvenate Ghana’s mining sector.
“The emergence of the new Goldbod is a creative initiative we need for the rise of the industry, increasing the prospect for more investment and higher yields. It injects a new urgency to the challenges we are trying to address,” he said.
The Asantehene’s remarks come at a time when public concern over the environmental toll of galamsey continues to grow, with rivers, forests, and farmlands across several regions severely affected.
