An Economist, Dr Worlanyo Mensah, has called on the government to adopt innovative reforms within Ghana’s prison system to help address the illegal mining (galamsey) menace. 

Dr. Mensah argued that the country could tap into the knowledge and skills of inmates if proper policies are introduced to rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society. 

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the prisons were places of reformation, and many inmates possessed valuable skills in information technology and other technical fields, which, if harnessed, could be directed into productive national service.

He noted that the government could introduce structured training programmes that could provide inmates with employable skills, especially in areas such as environmental management, reclamation of mined lands, and digital monitoring of mining activities. 

Dr. Mensah said that by so doing, prisoners would not only gain practical experiences but also contribute to curbing the destruction of water bodies and forests caused by galamsey.

He suggested that reformed prisoners could be deployed in supervised national projects aimed at restoring degraded lands; therefore, training and paying were important, saying, “When prisoners realise the state is committed to their training and welfare, they will not run away.”

Dr. Mensah emphasised that such reforms would not only benefit the nation but also reduce the rate of reoffending among ex-convicts, pointing out that when inmates acquire useful skills and are engaged in meaningful employment after serving their sentences, their likelihood of returning to crime would be less. 

He reiterated that illegal mining continued to pose serious environmental, economic, and social challenges to Ghana, threatening water security and the livelihoods of thousands of citizens; hence, the need for a multi-dimensional approach.