The National Coordinator of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (RCOMSDEP), Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, has identified greed as a central driver of illegal mining activities in the country, known as galamsey.

She said that when the programme began its work, it was necessary first to understand the root causes of illegal mining in order to develop a holistic response.

According to her, although multiple factors exist, greed remains at the heart of the problem, with many individuals continuing the illegal activity due to its perceived economic benefits.

"First of all, we needed to diagnose the problem and identify what the cause was and all of that. At the heart of this is greed. So many people are greedy," she said on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, April 25, when discussing the menace of galamsey and the recent calls by pastors and paediatricians to end galamsey.

She explained that the rising global price of gold has intensified the situation, encouraging more people to engage in illegal mining in pursuit of quick financial gains, often without regard for the environmental and social consequences.

"We also recognise that the price of gold is skyrocketing; between when we took office and now, it has gone up by over $2,000 per ounce," she said. "People are also looking out for livelihood opportunities; people want jobs," she added.

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Ms Mawuenyefia warned that this behaviour continues to undermine national efforts to sanitise the mining sector and protect natural resources.