The Convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Kenneth Ashigbey, has called for sustained investigative reporting to expose illegal mining operators.

He emphasised its critical role in supporting government efforts to combat galamsey following JoyNews' latest documentary, 'A Tax for Galamsey', which exposed devastating illegal mining practices in Amansie in the Ashanti Region with support from the District Assembly.

Speaking during JoyNews’ national dialogue on illegal mining on Thursday, February 12, Ing. Ashigbey praised the Multimedia Group for its investigative work, noting that such reportage is essential to uncovering the networks behind illicit mining activities.

“Let me commend Multimedia for this job that has been done. I keep saying that where we are with the fight, what we need to do is a lot of this investigative reportage,” he said.

The national dialogue, themed “A Tax for Galamsey: MMDCEs, Weakest Link in Fight Against Galamsey?”, was convened to examine whether Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are undermining the fight against illegal mining.

The discussion follows the damning JoyNews Hotline documentary exposé that alleged some district assemblies in mining communities have been collecting fees from operators of banned mining equipment, effectively creating a “galamsey tax” system.

Ing. Ashigbey stressed that exposing the individuals and networks perpetuating illegal mining is crucial to safeguarding Ghana’s natural resources and supporting government policies.

“We need to be able to expose criminals who are perpetuating this and are sabotaging the efforts of His Excellency the President and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources,” he added.