Award-winning JoyNews environmental journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has alleged that some illegal miners are exploiting the government's cooperative mining scheme as a cover to continue destructive mining activities in parts of the country.

According to him, the abuse of the initiative is occurring in communities including Berekum, Dawma and along the Bekwai–Esiwa road, as well as in several farming communities across the Eastern, Western and Ashanti regions.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, August 6, to mark one year since the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight state officials travelling to support the fight against illegal mining, Mr Asare Donkor expressed concern over what he described as a resurgence of galamsey activities.

"When you go to Berekum, the whole place has been taken over; it is as if there is no chief in Berekum. Go to Dawma; recently, NAIMOS was there, and I thought they could contain the situation. The people are back within the town itself," he said.

He alleged that some miners are operating under the guise of the cooperative mining programme, undermining the very purpose for which it was introduced.

"People are mining under the guise of cooperative mining, the very reason why these men had to die. That is the most painful part. The very reason why these people had to die was so that we could set up a cooperative mining scheme that is doing sustainable mining. Now people are coming under the cooperative mining initiative and using it to destroy communities."

Citing Bekwai Municipality as an example, Mr Asare Donkor claimed some operators were carrying out mining activities dangerously close to major roads.

"A typical example is in Bekwai Municipality where they are mining inches away from the main road."

He further alleged that enforcement actions by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) had yielded only temporary results.

"When I reported it, NAIMOS went in there, burnt a few pumping machines and said they had taken control of the situation. But the people are back there. Just three days later, they were back mining," he claimed.

Mr Asare Donkor also alleged that some traditional leaders in affected communities were supporting illegal mining activities.

"This is controlled by tradition itself; the chiefs are now supporting illegal mining within their enclaves," he alleged.

The environmental journalist, who has extensively reported on the impact of illegal mining, called for stronger oversight of the cooperative mining programme to ensure it is not exploited by individuals engaged in galamsey.

The government introduced the cooperative mining model as part of efforts to formalise small-scale mining and promote responsible and sustainable mining practices. However, concerns have been raised by some stakeholders over the alleged abuse of the initiative by illegal miners.