Ace Anan Ankomah, Convener of Occupy Ghana, has declared that the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, has been effectively lost.

In a candid assessment, he emphasised that the government's failure to take decisive action and heed multiple warnings regarding the rampant illegal mining activities has contributed significantly to this dire situation.

Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, September 30, Mr Ankomah expressed frustration over the lack of tangible results in combating galamsey, despite numerous promises from officials.

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He stressed that the government has consistently overlooked urgent calls for stricter enforcement of mining regulations, which has allowed illegal operations to flourish unchecked.

Mr Ankomah's remarks come amid growing concerns about the environmental devastation caused by galamsey, which has severely impacted water bodies and forest reserves across the country.

He underscored the need for a comprehensive and targeted approach to address the issue, rather than the reactive measures that have characterized the government's response so far.

The legal practioner also urged civil society and the public to remain vigilant and proactive in advocating for responsible mining practices and environmental protection.

Mr Ankomah reiterated that without a concerted effort to dismantle the networks facilitating illegal mining, the prospects for restoring Ghana’s natural resources and safeguarding public health remain bleak.

“The only good news is that we lost it to ourselves, so we can sit and fix it. We have lost it, some of the pictures we’re seeing are horrendous. They were not in that state when we first went to Tarkwa area in 2016, not even in 2022. Because if you show that you can’t regulate, everybody will dig in. And so now the kingpins are not only local people. There are foreigners who have come with money, it’s a free-for-all, we have opened the nation,” Ace Ankomah insisted.