Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, convenor of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, has questioned the effectiveness of the government’s policy of deporting foreigners involved in illegal mining, describing it as “retrogressive” and insufficient in tackling the menace.

Speaking on Joy News’ On the Pulse on Monday, December 29, he stressed that arrests alone are not enough without proper prosecution.

“The Interior Minister needs to tell us about that policy he brought—the one deporting foreigners engaged in galamsey. What has happened to that? Is he still embarking on it? Because it is all retrogressive. It is not helping the fight,” Ashigbey said. He added that the continued presence of confiscated excavators at illegal mining sites indicates a failure in prosecuting offenders, which undermines efforts to curb the illicit activity.

The remarks come after targeted operations by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Forestry Commission on Monday, December 29.

NAIMOS conducted raids in the Akyem Oda area within the Birim Central Municipality, resulting in the arrest of five Chinese nationals allegedly engaged in unauthorised mining and washing activities directly into the Birim River.

READ ALSO: Forestry Commission nabs 31 illegal miners in Apamprama Forest

Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team apprehended 28 Chinese nationals and three Ghanaians attempting to mine illegally in the Apamprama Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.

The miners, reportedly brought in by an individual named Alhassan, had set up camps under the pretext of conducting reclamation exercises.

Ashigbey emphasised that, while these arrests are commendable, without prosecution, the fight against illegal mining will continue to falter.

“The fact that several excavators are still sitting where they are shows that prosecutions are not taking place. That is at the heart of the failure so far in our fight against galamsey,” he said.

The coalition is urging government authorities, including the Interior Minister, the Attorney General, and the police, to take decisive steps to ensure that arrests translate into legal action and lasting deterrence.