Night has fallen, birds perched on the Baobab branches whistling their last rhymes. He calmly settles on his kitchen stool and rests his back against the mud wall.
Sighs ! Dips his hand slowly into his pocket with a broad smile, then tosses the bundle of 200 cedis notes to the left hand. He wets his thumps, begins to flip each note and counts,1,2,3,4,5,.........
Abugre never consulted the other living organisms before selling the land to Bozongo. No! He didn’t because the constitution recognizes him as the only person owning the environment.
I seem to have lost my mind right?
Should we then conclude that humans are the owners of the earth?
Tell me, who owns the earth?
Human
Animals
Plants
All living and nonliving things
President Nana Akufo-Addo in his inaugural speech for his first term of office in 2017 made an emphatic pronouncement, stating that, ‘I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation.’
This phrase led to another commitment later in July 2017 that ‘I am prepared to put my presidency on the line on this matter [galamsey]’.
These statements elicit patriotism and environmental conservation.
However, the streets yell the hypothesis that ‘President Nana Akufo-Addo has failed in his fight against galamsey’.
As stated in Barry Commoner’s four laws of ecology that ‘Everything Is Connected To Everything Else', and ‘There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch’ we need to understand that earth doesn’t belong to only humans therefore we need to revise our notes.
I will address these two concepts in the article
Let’s analyze the programs and policies initiated by the Akufo-Addo government from his first term of office in 2017 till the first quarter of his second term of office, April 2021.
Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) - 2016 to 2021
In a promising start, Nana Akufo-Addo commissioned the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) to ensure collaborative effort in finding lasting solutions to illegal mining in Ghana.
It was chaired by Prof Frimpong Boateng who doubled as the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI).
The committee comprised 10 ministries namely Lands and Natural Resources, Defence, Interior, Local Government and Rural Development, Regional Reorganization, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Monitoring and Evaluation, Information, Sanitation & Water Resources, and Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI).
A security task force named Operation Vanguard consisting of both military and police was formed to clamp down on illegal mining. Also, drones were deployed to monitor mining areas to boost the security taskforce’s operations.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) lasted from Wednesday, 28th December 2016 to January, 2021.
Success stories
Firstly, it began with a ban on artisanal and small-scale mining in January 2017 which was partially lifted in December 2018.
During this period, a total of 600 miners were vetted and approved to kickstart mining in an environmentally friendly manner. This process lasted between November and December of 2018.
The government has also paid for the education of 3,500 small-scale miners at the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa, where they were taught how to adapt their operations to ensure environmental damage is minimized.
The Ghana Water Company Limited [GWCL] issued warnings of acute water supply due to the pollution of Ankobra, Offin, and Birim rivers which were being treated for public consumption.
Flaming eco-anxiety, it cautioned that Ghana will be in a water crisis by 2030.
The ecology law, ‘Everything Is Connected To Everything Else', reiterates the saying ‘No man is an island'. The world and its constituents depend on each other to live therefore, none is greater than the other.
Operation Vanguard
This is a security task force focused on flashing out illegal mining activities, and enforcing the government's ban on artisanal and small-scale mining.
At the time of commissioning in July 2017, Colonel William Agyapong was its commander.
The anti-galamsey security team, at the initial stage was made up of 400 security personnel from both military and police.
In preparation for the task, the team was trained at the Bundase Training Camp in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra region.
It had four operating bases across the country, namely, the Ashanti, Eastern, Western and Central regions.
The list of commanders for the operation includes Colonel William Agyapong, Colonel Michael Amoah Ayisi, among others.
In March 2020, the government withdrew the military component of the operation, therefore it currently comprises only police personnel.
The committee planned to send more mining guards and about 144 trained drones pilots to ensure effective monitoring.
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 200 military personnel were deployed to flush out illegal miners across the country. The operations began on the River Pra in the Central and Western Regions.
This project is ongoing made up of only Police personnel.
Corrupt soldiers and Ineffective Operation Vanguard
Operation Vanguard faced its own set of corruption allegations and misconduct as the Military High Command had to detain three soldiers for allegedly collecting money from illegal miners.
It was reported that the soldiers tried to extort money from some illegal miners in Wassa Akropong in the Western Region while on duty with Operation Vanguard.
Also, the non-collaborative efforts between Operation Vanguard and the regional security coordinating council leads to ineffectiveness.
The question has been that even though the regional and district security command understand the terrain much better than the security persons who came from the central government, what has been their impact ?
There is nothing wrong with collaborations, as the adage that one broomstick is weak whereas a bunch of broomsticks can withstand bending pressures.
Downfall of IMCIM
This is Africa, specifically Ghana, so corruption plunged into the committee like armyworms invading a plot of maize at Bongo.
This surely ignited mistrust among citizens.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigation and the fall of IMCIM Secretary Charles Bissue
March 2019 struck the nation with awe as Ghanaians watched Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigative piece on galamsey titled "The Galamsey Fraud Part 1".
The Secretary of the IMCIM and Presidential Staffer Charles Bissue, was allegedly ‘implicated’ during this investigative piece.
The police invited Mr Bissue for questioning and cleared him of any wrongdoing in July 2019.
Yes, he pulled up the defence that the money received from Anas was not meant to influence his work as a secretary to the committee; thus to hasten the process of acquiring a license to mine.
Mr. Charles Bissue was relieved of his duty but continued serving as a presidential staffer.
Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng’s ‘Party Dey Need Money’ - February 2020
An alleged leaked audio of a conversation between suspended Central Regional Vice-Chairman of the NPP, Horace Ekow Ewusi and the Chairman of the IMCIM and Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng spark a nationwide uproar.
The ‘party dey need money’ audio had Prof Frimpong Boateng approving Ekow Ewusi’s request to undertake galamsey so that its proceeds will be used to sponsor the NPP.
This led to a public outcry with Fmr Lands and Natural Resource Minister, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini calling for his resignation.
President Nana Akufo-Addo in his last address of the seventh parliament dissolved the committee and later organized the National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining between 14th and 15th April, 2021.
Missing seized gold and 500 excavators 2017 and 2018
About three years ago, a total of 500 excavators were seized from illegal miners and safeguarded by the Police. They were parked at various districts but later reported missing by Fmr Environment Minister, and Chairman of IMCIM, Dr Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng
Even though he charged six members of the New Patriotic Party for the loss, they were later granted bail. Among them was an official of IMCIM, and a suspended Central regional NPP vice-chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi.
There has not been any development after this action. This sparked conversations about the government's competence in handling galamsey.
Also, seized gold cannot be accounted for and the Small Scale Miners Association has continuously expressed their displeasure about this act.
Media Campaigns
The Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining led by Ken Ashigbey was formed in April 2017 and focused on putting the spotlight on illegal mining.
Citi FM, an Accra-based English radio station through its flagship programme, the Citi Breakfast Show, launched the #StopGalamseyNow campaign on 3rd April, 2017.
The campaign made five clear demands of government:
1. The total cessation of all small and medium scale mining for a period of six months.
2. The cessation of the issuance of new mining licenses for a year
3. The reclassification of mining categories to reflect the use of new/larger equipment.
4. The allowance of water bodies to regenerate their natural ecology.
5. Tree planting and a land reclamation project
The campaigns had short-lived results with water bodies restoring to their former state. The ecology law which states that ‘There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch’ highlights the cause-and-effect relationship by human activities. The water bodies are habitat to other living organisms however, our insatiable quest for gold blinds us.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigative piece titled "The Galamsey Fraud Part 1" captured under its lens a Presidential Staffer and then Secretary to the IMCIM, Charles Bissue receiving a bribe of GHS 35,000 in order to breach the process in renewing the mining license of ORR Resource Enterprise.
Chinese and galamsey
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Shi Ting Wang during the height of the prosecution of Aisha Huang ‘The Chinese Galamsey Queen’ accused Ghanaians being culprits in aiding Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining.
“I believe some local people provide protection for the Chinese people. Otherwise, the Chinese people, when they came to Ghana, cannot survive without the protection of local people. We hope we can work together to find the brutal cause of Galamsey. We are working together with the Ghana government to stop illegal mining.”
For diplomatic reasons, Aisha Huang was deported to China without being tried in court.
Some Chinese nationals have faced sanctions and been jailed.
The government in 2021 decided to burn excavators and was ready to pay judgment debts that may arise in the near future.
The way forward
The recurring theme in every initiative is corruption and misconduct by officials who are supposed to be at the helm of affairs. Any corrupt official should not be shielded in this campaign to improve the confidence of citizens in the government leading the fight.
There should be a collaborative effort between the regional security council and the security personnel deployed to the mining sites.
There is a need for a bottom-up approach where the affected community forms part of the campaigns in fighting against galamsey, therefore a participatory approach.
The Executive Director for Centre for Social Impact Studies, Richard Ellimah called for the Mineral Commission to undertake its mandate because ‘they are technocrats and know their job. Most of them have been in the business for so many years, they have been regulating the mining industry.”
