Pressure group FixTheCountry has called for an urgent, community-led approach to tackling illegal mining (galamsey), warning that Ghana risks descending into what it described as a “Mad Max wasteland” if decisive action is not taken.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, September 15, the group insisted that the fight against galamsey must move beyond rhetoric to practical, people-driven solutions.

According to the group’s investigations, some traditional authorities are not only aware of but also complicit in illegal mining activities.

“Mr President, our investigations show that many chiefs are directly involved in galamsey. Even roadside traders, the Ksi-PZ-style informants, tip off galamseyers whenever the military is on the way to their sites,” the post stated.

FixTheCountry proposed that the government hold chiefs accountable by assigning them a frontline role in the fight.

The group suggested that chiefs should be tasked to recruit young people within their communities into a 24-hour shift system, working hand in hand with security agencies and the government’s Blue Guard fighters.

“The solution? Use them to fix it. Task the chiefs to recruit the youth in their communities into a 24-hour shift system to guard against galamsey,” the post emphasised.

As part of the plan, the group urged the government to pay the chiefs and recruited youth at least a minimum wage, thereby creating employment while safeguarding Ghana’s water bodies and natural resources.

“Pay these chiefs and youth a minimum wage, and they will protect the land, the water, and their own future. This way, we create jobs, fight galamsey, and free Ghana’s water bodies and natural resources,” the tweet concluded.