Ghana’s President Forms 5-Member Committee To Combat Illegal Mining

Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo has formed a five-member ministerial committee to combat illegal mining, also known as “galamsey” in the country.

This was disclosed on Friday in an official letter published by Ghana’s Ministry of Information and signed by the Minister, Fatima Abubakar.

Leading the committee is the National Security Minister, with Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, Defence Minister, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, Hon. Ignatius Baffour Awuah, and the Information Minister, Fatima Abubakar.

The ad-hoc committee was tasked to assess the current strategies and policies for combating ‘galamsey’ activities and recommend reforms to halt the ongoing challenge.

While this is seen as part of the government’s effort to engage with stakeholders, as the letter implied, this is not the first time the government has set up a committee to curb illegal mining.

According to JoyOnline, “The inter-ministerial task force against illegal mining led by the former Environment and Science Minister Prof. Kwabena Boateng ended in a dramatic manner, forcing him to resign his role as the Chair of the Committee.”

Meanwhile, the newly tasked committee followed Ghanian’s demand from the worsening river and forest reserves crisis, as they raised health and environmental concerns due to illegal mining activities.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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