Anti-galamsey campaigner, Ing. Ken Ashigbe, has criticised the lack of commitment from some local government and security officials, arguing that the leadership required to eliminate illegal mining is not forthcoming.

According to him, some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and local Police Commanders are not showing enough interest in the fight against illegal mining, making efforts to tackle the menace at the grassroots level more difficult.

Speaking on the state of the fight against galamsey as Ghana marked one year since the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight state officials while they were travelling to support the anti-illegal mining campaign, Ing. Ashigbe said local leadership remains a major gap in the fight.

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"For me, the big thing is that the leadership that we need to be able to deal with this, we are not seeing it, especially at local level," he said.

"I will plead with His Excellency the President; he has mentioned that galamsey was going to be a KPI for the MCEs, so how come none of these MCEs, where galamsey is happening right close to them, and nobody is caught and held accountable? For me, that is the slippery slope that we are on, and all of us need to wake up and find a way of supporting our country so that these people who have lost their lives in carrying out national duty, at least, their lives should mean something; otherwise, we would have failed," he added.

Ing. Ashigbe stressed that MMDCEs and security commanders operating within affected communities play a critical role in enforcing mining regulations and ensuring that illegal miners do not return to reclaimed areas.

His comments add to growing concerns from environmental advocates that a coordinated approach involving central government, local authorities, traditional leaders and security agencies is needed to achieve lasting results in the fight against illegal mining.