Writer: Daniel Benin OHIM
Accra, Ghana – In a recent exclusive interview with Online Platform OHIM TV, former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and ex-Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Hon. Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, has offered critical solutions to how Ghana can effectively tackle the persistent menace of illegal mining, commonly referred to as Galamsey.
Speaking candidly on the platform, Hon. Fuseini stressed the need for a community-centered strategy that involves collaboration between state authorities and local mining communities.
It would be recalled that it was under his regime as the minister that the fight against illegal mining activities begun and was intensified.
Hon. Fuseini’s comments come amid ongoing national debate and intensified government efforts to combat illegal mining, which continues to pose significant threats to the country’s natural resources and environmental sustainability.
According to him, the key to defeating illegal mining lies in directly engaging those at the grassroots level where the activity is most rampant.
“In dealing with illegal mining, we must go to the root. The root is where the mining takes place,” Hon. Fuseini stated. “The people who are there at that level know all those involved and doing the illegal mining.”
He emphasized that locals often have first-hand knowledge of those perpetrating these acts and could play a vital role in identifying culprits.
To that end, he urged state security agencies and government institutions to forge partnerships with these communities, asserting that such alliances would help in exposing offenders and ensuring that the law takes its course.
“This is why as authorities, we need to partner the local mining communities and they will expose all those involved in this Galamsey operation so that we can target them and let the laws deal with them,” he said.
Describing illegal mining as an “environmental crime,” Hon. Fuseini maintained that empowering communities and building trust with residents would be the most effective method to root out the practice that has severely affected Ghana’s forests, water bodies, and agricultural lands.
“For me, this is the best way to fight this environmental crime called Galamsey,” he concluded.
