Sulemana Braimah: No Progress Seen in Ghana's Galamsey Fight

• Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA, states he has seen no significant progress in Ghana's fight against illegal mining.
• He argues that successive governments have repeated interventions, including Operation Flush Out and the Inter-Ministerial Committee, without lasting success.
• Despite actions like the seizure of 400 excavators and some forest reserve recovery under NAIMOS, water bodies remain polluted and illegal miners are still active.
• Braimah's assessment, shared on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, indicates a lack of tangible results from numerous governmental efforts.
• He expresses skepticism that even a potential return of President John Mahama in 2025 would lead to meaningful progress given past patterns.

The continuous cycle of interventions without tangible, lasting results highlights the deep-seated nature of the problem and the formidable task facing Ghanaian authorities in protecting natural resources.

Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has voiced a critical assessment regarding Ghana's ongoing struggle against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. Despite numerous initiatives launched by successive governments, Braimah asserts that he has not witnessed any substantial advancement in the Sulemana Braimah Ghana galamsey fight. His remarks, made during an appearance on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, highlight a deep-seated concern that the nation is merely reiterating past strategies without achieving lasting solutions to the pervasive issue.

Braimah explicitly stated his conviction that, "To the point of whether this government is fighting galamsey, we are making progress or not, to be honest with you, I have not seen any progress." This sentiment underscores a broader frustration with the cyclical nature of interventions that, while well-intentioned, have consistently failed to curb the menace effectively. His observations suggest a pattern of governmental responses that lack the necessary impact to fundamentally alter the landscape of illegal mining activities across the country.

The history of governmental efforts to combat illegal mining in Ghana spans several administrations, yet according to Braimah, these have largely been exercises in repetition rather than progress. The initial significant intervention, Operation Flush Out Ghana, was launched in the early 2000s under former President John Agyekum Kufuor, involving the deployment of military personnel. This approach was subsequently continued by the late President John Evans Atta Mills, indicating an early recognition of the severity of the problem.

Further attempts to tackle the issue included President John Dramani Mahama's establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee illegal mining in 2014. This period also saw military deployments and the widely reported seizure of 400 excavators, signaling a robust, albeit ultimately insufficient, response. Even the previous administration under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo introduced its own set of measures. Despite this long lineage of actions and announced interventions, Braimah maintains that they have not translated into the desired outcomes, leaving the core problem largely unresolved.

The persistent failure of these interventions is evident in the continued environmental degradation and the active presence of illegal miners, according to Braimah. While efforts related to NAIMOS Ghana galamsey might have resulted in the recovery of some forest reserves, this positive aspect is overshadowed by the broader reality. Braimah points out that Ghana's water bodies remain polluted, and galamseyers continue to operate in the field, indicating that the fundamental challenges of illegal mining Ghana progress persist.

This ongoing situation raises significant questions about the efficacy of current regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. Braimah's skepticism extends to the effectiveness of past patterns, as he suggested that even a potential return of President John Mahama in 2025 would not necessarily lead to meaningful progress in eradicating illegal mining. John Mahama has since returned to office, having been sworn in as president on January 7, 2025. The continuous cycle of interventions without tangible, lasting results highlights the deep-seated nature of the problem and the formidable task facing Ghanaian authorities in protecting natural resources.

This assessment underscores the ongoing regulatory and enforcement challenges in Ghana's fight against illegal mining. Lawyers advising clients in the natural resources sector or on environmental compliance should recognize the persistent risk of environmental damage and the potential for increased regulatory pressure or public scrutiny, despite governmental interventions. This necessitates robust due diligence and proactive compliance strategies for any operations in affected areas.

Source: Original reporting via JoyNews’ Newsfile