The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) has reacted to the high-profile anti-galamsey dialogue convened by President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House on Friday, October 3, describing the initiative as commendable but cautioning against selective engagement and continued complicity at the top.

The meeting, which brought together over 50 civil society organisations (CSOs) and religious leaders, was hailed by the Presidency as an opportunity for “frank and constructive dialogue” on Ghana’s long-standing illegal mining menace.

Though not among those invited, the NCOM said it followed the event closely and welcomed the President’s renewed resolve to intensify the fight against galamsey. However, it warned that the government’s historical record of corruption, exclusion of grassroots voices, and reliance on force-based tactics could derail progress.

President Mahama had described the anti-galamsey campaign as a “process” he is determined to see through to victory, a statement NCOM acknowledged as a strong signal of political will.

However, the Coalition contextualised this within what it called two decades of “futile militarised repression” under both NDC and NPP administrations, from Operation Flush Out in 2005 to Operation Halt in 2024.

“We have been treading the futile road of blunt militarised repression for 20 years. Lives have been lost, rights trampled, and legal businesses destroyed,” NCOM stated.

The Coalition argued that galamsey is not merely a legal or security issue but a reflection of deep political, economic, and institutional failures. It cited the abuse of Section 18(1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), which permits mining in forest reserves under certain conditions, a provision the group said has been exploited by politically connected individuals.

According to NCOM, powerful figures, including businessmen, chiefs, state officials, and even celebrities, form the “heads of the galamsey snake,” enriching themselves while perpetuating environmental destruction.

“These are the heads of the galamsey snake… Their wealth and influence have corrupted public institutions and paralysed political will,” the Coalition declared.

NCOM insisted that any credible strategy must confront these elite interests while addressing the socio-economic desperation that drives poor and unemployed youth into galamsey. It proposed job creation, rural development, a moratorium on new large-scale mining concessions, reform of artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) regulations, and limits on the powers of corrupt traditional authorities.

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The Coalition also cited chronic underfunding of initiatives such as the $50 million World Bank-funded Multi-Sectoral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP), which it said has seen little progress since 2017.

While acknowledging the symbolic importance of the Jubilee House meeting, NCOM criticised the composition of participants, noting the absence of CSOs from mining-affected communities.

“This skewing could reflect broader institutional weaknesses and the ad hoc nature of state engagement with civil society,” it said, warning that such exclusion undermines legitimacy and effective collaboration.

The Coalition urged the government to pursue a more inclusive, long-term, and financially backed approach, grounded in the democratic principles of Article 37(2) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates civic participation in national development.

Ultimately, NCOM concluded that Ghana’s overreliance on gold, accounting for more than half of export earnings, lies at the heart of the problem and called for a diversified and sustainable economic strategy.