The former president of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, Nana Bonsu II, says that tackling illegal mining requires direct involvement from the president, as security agencies have proven to be ineffective in addressing the issue.

According to him, the president needs to pay close attention to illegal mining activities and express his willingness to assist in resolving the problem.

He also criticised the current state of communication between the president and relevant stakeholders, claiming that false information provided by authorities often prevents critical reports from reaching the president's attention.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM show on May 14, he said, “I can stop galamsey within a few days, not months. It is something the president has to watch. I have said it several times but nobody is serious enough to send me to the president or the president to come and have the document or video that I have. We should forget about the security people because they are not working.

“It is the president who has to speak. When he said it was lockdown, who else would say it was not lockdown? It was lockup; it had to go down, so it was the president. When the president comes down to come with a pronouncement or other things, the whole thing would go down.

“Some of the reports do not go to the president; they lie to the president. Those in charge are lying to the president. For COCOBOD, they are doing their best. What they are supposed to do is what they are doing. They are not entitled to our lands; it is an individual.”.

He emphasised the need for Parliament to form an effective team to address the ongoing destruction of the cocoa industry, which is crucial to the economy.

According to him, parliament focuses on issues like LGBTQ+ instead of prioritising the preservation of the cocoa sector, which directly affects livelihoods.

Nana Bonsu II noted that COCOBOD should not be held accountable for the shortfalls in cocoa production, as they are exerting their utmost effort to address the challenges.

“I have been on the grounds for so many years. When you go to a building, they say they have been given a concession. When you see the kind of people with arms ... I feel like I am being shot, like they will kill me.

“I would not say that there are politicians involved in this, but at the end of the day, the police are scared to arrest some people. The police are harmless. There are no chiefs involved because when you go to a place like Dunkwa Offin, I go to the chief to discuss with the chief, and the chief was so happy that even behind the back of the chief’s house they were doing the galamsey, and the chiefs had nothing to say. The chief is powerless,” he noted.