It is about time the nation got serious about finding solutions to the nagging issue of galamsey. Young people engaged in the practice are dying in their numbers, and so something needs to be done soon to stem this unfortunate tide.
Galamsey is no longer the preserve of men. Now, many women too are actively engaged in the activity. This goes to show that in spite of the dangers involved, there is money to be made, and this is what is driving many of the youth into the sector.
I think it is about time the nation invested some effort to ensure safety in the sector. I suggest that a committee be set up to study the intricacies of galamsey operations in the country and its impact on the local and national economy.
Many people do not know this, but galamsey contributes significantly to the economies of the local communities in which they operate, and so it is important that the sector is given the necessary support to make it more viable.
One of our biggest problems as a country is that people begin to do things without first assessing the viability of whatever enterprise they are engaging themselves in.
That aside, one major factor that is driving young people to engage in galamsey is poverty. It is, however, sad that after many years, following the discoveries of gold and other natural resources, Ghanaians have as yet not been able to master and take control of the mining industry.
Many of the young men and women who take to galamsey die in their quest to look for their daily bread in their bid to cater for their immediate and extended families, having exhausted all other avenues in their job search.
I understand that the Mineral Commission has put in place measures to ensure the regularisation of galamsey operations. But the point is, how easy and accessible are the registration and the documentation processes?
It was about time that a fund was set up for the training of these young Ghanaians in the areas of mining and safety as a way of ameliorating the frequent deaths that occur at the mines.
One of the things that should have been done long ago was to ensure the transfer of skills to the indigenous people. As things stand now, the people keep practising galamsey using old and uncouth methods for extracting the mineral.
They have genuine interest in the mine work. Therefore, let us not only regularise mining and make it legal, but also give them the needed skills to ensure that they operate in a very safe and acceptable manner.
Galamsey operators derive their daily bread from engaging in the illegal mining of gold. Much as their operations deviate from the norm, it nonetheless serve as their source of employment.
But having said that, I also do not think that there cannot be solutions to the problem of galamsey operations in this country. It is, therefore, important that structures that ensure the smooth implementation of galamsey operations are put in place by the Government or the governing agencies concerned. This will give assurance that operators are operating safely and in a manner that will safeguard the environment and avoid accidents.
The people who engage in galamsey operations have to eat. In fact, some have children and also look after extended family members as well.
So the time has come for us to find a way out. The operators may not have the technology to be able to reclaim land and use the appropriate means of extracting gold, so they need training and support.
If as a country, we look on unconcerned and people die, that would be another bad episode in our history. I think that if the sector is given the support that it needs and accidents are reduced to the barest minimum, it will be good for the economy and will also provide employment for thousands of the people.
The Mineral Commission owes it a duty to ensure that they not only regularise the operations of galamsey practitioners, but also give them opportunities to undergo training, or else we will always give ‘the dog a bad name and hang it’.
I have visited places like Tarkwa, Prestea/Bogoso, Wassa Akropong and other parts of the Western Region, where this deadly trade is practised, on many occasions.
I have observed the risk involved and wonder if it is worth the lives of those who have taken it upon themselves to engage in galamsey operations.
I also know for a fact that though the activity is risky, it is nonetheless very lucrative. Practitioners make a lot of money. At Nanankor, near Wassa Akropong, for instance, there is a market where they trade in all manner of items. The galamsey operators even own generating plants that provide them with electricity.
But come to think of it, why should people risk their lives in such a manner when they know that they are engaged in a near-death activity. Must the Government look on unconcerned while precious lives are lost? In my view, most governments have rather paid lip-service to the call for legalising the activity of galamsey operations. I think the time is ripe for galamsey to be accepted and accorded its rightful place.
I say this because no matter what, people will continue to engage in galamsey, considering the general economic hardships people face.
Those of us living in areas where the practice of galamsey is rife, consider it as a necessary evil. Though many of those engaged in it would have wished not to be where they are, there is nothing much that they could do since they have to keep body and soul together.
My honest opinion is that there is no way galamsey would cease insofar as poverty levels in the country are high. Under the current circumstances, its practice would exist forever. What is required now is for experts in mining, the supervising authority, that is, the Minerals Commission and the Government, to fashion ways of making galamsey operations acceptable and in a manner that would protect the operators, the communities and the environment.
Gold has been mined in Ghana for a very long time, but there is nothing to show for it. A cursory look at communities in Ghana, particularly in the Western Region, where gold and other minerals are mined, shows a picture of abject poverty.
We have the School of Mines and the polytechnics, and it was about time these institutions were tasked to design basic courses for galamsey operators.
The people engaged in galamsey operations do so because of poverty. I was engaged in the practice myself sometime ago, and I can vouch that people will do everything to keep body and soul together.
A keen observation of what galamsey operators go through each day would show that it is a blessing for one to go to work and come back unscathed. In fact, I will not recommend it for anybody.
However, there is money to be made and as such people are willing to die. And as some say “all die be die”, it means they either take part in the activity and get killed somehow or they are equally dead out of hunger if they do not take part.
There are people who provide funds for galamsey operations. Unfortunately, they do not provide technical know-how or insurance cover, and that is why it is important for the Government to step in and legalise the operations to make them enjoy the benefits that accrue to the sector, while at the same time, making them responsible for their actions, particularly on the environment.
Since the activities of galamsey affect the environment, especially river bodies through dangerous chemicals used for extraction, it is paramount that the operators are given education particularly on the use of chemicals used in the extraction processes, notably on cyanide and mercury.
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