Professor Kofi Agyekum, widely known as “Opanyin Agyekum,” is baffled by the government’s inability to eradicate illegal mining (galamsey) once and for all.
Speaking on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show, Opanyin Agyekum, voiced his frustration with the authorities for their inability to put a stop to illegal mining.
He questioned why the country is not entrusting the fight against galamsey to the Security Services, specifically mentioning the Military.
“Do the galamseyers outnumber us or are they stronger than us? Do they have more weapons that when you go to cease them from operating, they can overcome us?”, the Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana questioned.
To him, “the government has relaxed her efforts”, however he calls on the authorities to do the needful to discourage the illegality.
Galamsey has been wreaking havoc on the country’s water bodies and environment for years, with minimal action taken to address this scourge.
This illegal activity remains one of the nation’s most difficult challenges, as reports suggest that traditional leaders, government officials, and locals in various galamsey communities, along with other influential figures, are directly involved.
The Ghana Water Company Ltd. has been significantly impacted, warning that “about Sixty percent (60%) of the catchment capacity is silted as a result of illegal mining (galamsey) compromising the quality of raw water. We are currently recording an average turbidity of 14,000 NTU instead of 2000 NTU designed for adequate treatment.”