Physician and political activist, Dr. Arthur Kennedy, has called for stronger action against illegal mining commonly known as galamsey in Ghana by targeting the powerful figures behind the operations.

In an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he criticized the government’s approach, suggesting that current measures focus too much on surface-level actions rather than addressing the root cause.

He argued that many of the illegal miners, who often use unauthorized machines like changfangs in water bodies, are merely tools in the hands of influential individuals, adding that they must be prosecuted and arrested when caught.

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“Let’s find the big people who are funding them and most of the big people are party elders and Members of Parliament and other things,” he said.

Dr. Kennedy also expressed skepticism about the political will of any political party to solve the issue, doubting whether a change of power would bring meaningful progress.

He warned that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were to take over from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) without seeing significant consequences for galamsey, they might also tolerate the practice for political gain, perpetuating the problem across generations.

He concluded that solving the galamsey crisis requires “extraordinary measures” beyond the government’s current strategy, which includes deploying military forces to illegal mining sites.

Despite efforts like the recent destruction of 18 mining machines, miners have reportedly returned to these sites, highlighting enforcement limitations without dismantling the broader networks behind the operations.