A Co-Principal Investigator of the University of York and member of the University of Ghana Galamsey Research Team, Prof Gladys Nyarko Ansah has stated that the current surge in illegal mining and the seeming lack of action to curtail it is a result of the impending general election.

She believes the political climate is allowing individuals to act with impunity, knowing that they are unlikely to face consequences.

“When it gets to an election year, everybody does what pleases them because they know nothing can happen to them,” Prof Ansah asserted during an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday. She explained that miners are exploiting this period because it’s an election year, leading to a noticeable increase in galamsey activities.

Prof Ansah further noted that political leaders are hesitant to take action against illegal mining due to fears of losing voter support. She observed, “Leaders can do anything now, but they choose not to act because they don’t want to lose votes. As a result, they allow miners to do whatever they like, which is contributing to the rise in galamsey.”

“The problem is there, yes, but with the election so close, everyone wants to secure votes. So, it’s a case of ‘see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.’ If there were no laws, you can imagine what human beings would do—that’s what’s causing the increase,” she emphasized.

This debate has gained renewed attention following the tragic death of two-and-a-half-year-old twins who drowned in an abandoned galamsey pit filled with water in Morkwaa, a farming community near Twifo Praso in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region.

This incident marks the eighth fatality in the district this year due to uncovered galamsey pits, according to residents.

Environmental groups, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens have expressed their frustration over the lack of significant progress in curbing galamsey activities. The unchecked mining operations have led to the contamination of rivers, the destruction of farmlands, and the loss of livelihoods for many Ghanaians.

Prof Ansah warned that galamsey poses a severe risk to the country’s natural resources.

She emphasised that the government must step up and take action, cautioning that focusing solely on political interests or gaining votes at the expense of the country’s future would be detrimental.

Read also : Galamsey pit swallows twins at Morkwa near Twifo-Praso