Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has indicated that the return of galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang has proven that Ghana has failed in dealing with the illegal small-scale mining menace.
Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning Show on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, he stated that when Aisha Huang was arrested, it emerged that she was married to a Ghanaian, therefore she was entitled to some benefits.
Baako further noted that Huang was subsequently asked by the authorities to go and regularize her galamsey activities because she was operating without the requisite license.
“Aisha Huang symbolizes Ghana’s failure to tackle the phenomenon of galamsey effectively and courageously, then and now. This woman, I have already stated that prior to 2017, she was arrested and released three times. There are people who are challenging me on this but very soon they will get the evidence.
“I have in my hands a copy of the minutes of the Ashanti Regional and District Security Councils (REGSEC) meeting dated September 6, 2016. In the minutes, she was arrested and at the meeting, Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) Officer who attended the meeting said this about Aisha Huang – ’13 Chinese immigrants caught engaging in illegal mining were processed to be sent out of Ghana but need to cover their dugout pits first. Two out of the 13 were on the run and their guarantors were to be held responsible. We informed members that one Chinese lady called Miss Aisha, who was famously known in galamsey operations in Ghana, came to his office and after interrogation, it came out that she was married to a Ghanaian, hence entitled to some benefits. However, she does not have an operating license and was asked to go and have one,” Kweku Baako said.
It appears that Ghana is losing the fight against galamsey as the various water bodies in the country have been polluted with the colour of the water turning milky brown.
President Akufo-Addo at a meeting with chiefs in the Ashanti region on Wednesday, October 5, vowed to deal with persons within his government who may be found complicit in illegal mining activities.
The President said the government has for several years been struggling with the fight against ‘galamsey’, hence government officials cannot continue to compromise efforts against the menace.
“I am not here to threaten anybody, but I want you to know that this is a struggle that I take very seriously and I will not be in a position to protect anybody against whose evidence is messed up about their complicity in this matter…I am a lawyer and I always deal with facts and when the facts are brought against you, you will be invited to comment on them.
“If the response is not satisfactory, you can guess to yourself what the consequences will be,” the President said.
He also admitted that Ghana’s fight against illegal mining has so far not been successful.
“Since I took office on 7th January 2017, nearly 6 years ago, I have made it the central feature of my presidency to lead in the efforts to rid our country of this menace which we all now call ‘galamsey’.
“Indeed, it was an important aspect of my inaugural address of that day. It has not been easy, it has not been popular, but we have not got the immediate result that I was looking for,” President Akufo-Addo said.