The Convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Ing. Ken Ashigbey, has called for stronger and more urgent action against illegal mining (galamsey), warning that Ghana is not treating the crisis with the seriousness it deserves.

Speaking at the JoyNews National Dialogue on Illegal Mining, themed “A Tax for Galamsey: MMDCEs, Weakest Link in Fight Against Galamsey?”, Mr Ashigbey said the country’s response to the destruction of its environment has been too weak.

The dialogue followed a JoyNews Hotline documentary, which showed that some district assemblies in mining areas were collecting fees from operators of banned mining equipment, effectively creating what has been described as a “galamsey tax” system.

He questioned how excavators continue to operate despite government assurances that they are being tracked.

“This is a government that says that we’re tracking excavators. So the question you will ask is, before anybody uses an excavator… do we need any other thing?” he asked.

At the heart of his message was what he described as a lack of public outrage. “I think that we are not angry enough about this ecocide that is going on. We are not angry enough,” he stated.

Mr Ashigbey also raised concerns about alleged misconduct by some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

He cited the case where a Municipal Chief Executive was said to have issued a prospecting permit.

“You know who signs a prospecting licence? It is the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources. He’s the only one who does that. And the Constitution is very clear about that. But he has issued it. For example, by now he should be arrested.”

He added that another MCE in Dunkwa was allegedly issuing stickers linked to mining operations.

“Some of the stickers he’s issuing are stickers that are in the theatre of crime,” Mr Ashigbey said, calling for a full review of all such permits and stickers to determine who received them and whether they had legitimate concessions.

He insisted that anyone involved in using banned equipment such as “one leg” machines or “changfans” must face severe consequences.

“Those are prescribed. They are not supposed to be used for mining activities anywhere. We should be seeing very severe action so far as these people are concerned,” he said.

While acknowledging some efforts by the Regional Coordinating Council, he said that the scale of destruction requires a different approach. “When you are in a situation of war, you don’t treat these things the way we’re treating them,” he said.

Mr Ashigbey appealed directly to the President and other authorities to act decisively. “The challenge that confronts us as a people is a dire one,” he said.

He criticised some district leaders, saying that any DCE presiding over illegal mining in their area is either complicit or incompetent.

“Any DCE that has galamsey taking place in his community, it’s either he’s getting it done or he’s incompetent. In both ways, they cannot be representatives of His Excellency the President,” he stated.

Mr Ashigbey urged the media to intensify investigations into illegal mining across all districts.

“We need to unleash the power of our investigative work into every district that has mining going on,” he said.

He then added that accountability must go beyond political heads. “It should not be only the MCEs. It also has to be the coordinating directors. It also has to be the finance people who are involved. Everybody who was facilitating or abetting these economic and environmental criminals, as Act 995 says, is guilty,” he stated.