Associate Professor at the University of Ghana Law School, Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua has described illegal mining in Ghana as a transnational organised crime.

He argues that the involvement of state-embedded actors in the galam trade is staggering.

Indicating that “The organised crime syndicates have become politically-minded and the politicians have become criminally-minded, creating a hybrid form of governance. Decision-making is shared and blurred between the two, leading to state capture and the complete sidelining of the citizenry”.

His comments come on the back of the rage being expressed by Ghanaians on the state of water bodies across the country.

To him, government in power can fight galamsey but rather the citizens of the country and other stakeholders.

“We cannot rely on any government in power to uproot galamsey. It is up to the citizenry, serious-minded civil society organisations, organised labour, students and the youth to organise various targeted actions and interventions with the support of a reformed police, army and other security agencies and a bold judiciary to deal a deathly blow to galamsey.”

Yes, it’s transnational organised crime. Like how Guinea-Bissau became a narco-State, Ghana is now a galam-State. The involvement of state-embedded actors in the galam trade is staggering. The organised crime syndicates have become politically-minded and the politicians have become criminally-minded, creating a hybrid form of governance. Decision-making is shared and blurred between the two, leading to state capture and the complete sidelining of the citizenry.

My assessment is that a change of government will not help to fight the canker. Akufo-Addo came to inherit galamsey from the previous regime and he succumbed to its dictates and demands. He put his presidency on the line to uproot the practice or cede power. He failed woefully and he remains in power. If the NDC wins power it will come to take over from where it left off and adopt the new tactics that the NPP has introduced to widen and deepen the galamsey practice.

We cannot rely on any government in power to uproot galamsey. It is up to the citizenry, serious-minded civil society organisations, organised labour, students and the youth to organise various targeted actions and interventions with the support of a reformed police, army and other security agencies and a bold judiciary to deal a deathly blow to galamsey.