Legal practitioner Kwaku Nsiah Asare has called for a unified national will as the decisive factor in addressing Ghana’s longstanding challenge with illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.

Speaking on JoyNews' The Law on June 8, Mr Nsiah Asare emphasised that the solution lies not in creating new laws, but in the collective resolve of political leaders and state institutions to act decisively and in concert.

“We would need a national will to solve the issue of galamsey,” he stated. “I don’t think the issue of galamsey is because there is any lacuna in our law or that our laws are inadequate.”

Mr Nsiah Asare also underscored the role of political authority in appointing those tasked with enforcement.

“Whichever prosecutorial authority, whichever entity is clothed with ultimate power, would have to be appointed by political authority.” Once appointed, he added, these institutions must work seamlessly with other key actors such as the police, military, and regulatory agencies already in place,” he said.

Meanwhile, investigations have uncovered the construction of a fuel supply point in a protected forest reserve in the Akomfre community last week, sparking outrage among environmental advocates and state officials.

According to official sources, the unauthorised fuel depot was being set up to supply earth-moving machinery actively involved in the indiscriminate destruction of forest cover in the area, reportedly in a desperate search for gold.