God, the creator of the world has no peer. He is seen as the most powerful, provider of food and solver of all problems, and so whatever we have achieved or seek to do is to the glory of God. Through God's glory, we enjoyed clean water, clean air and safe land. Life cannot be without these three key resources and to the glory of God, we enjoyed in years past.

To God be the glory is simply to honor, praise and worship His peerless reputation. There is no way we can make God any more glorious than he already is, so we can regard Him highly with the praise He alone is worthy.

Unfortunately for Ghana, instead of doing this for God, we opted to give highest praise to galamsey because our leaders accept galamsey as the most powerful, provider of food and solver of all problems. The President and his government who promised to build a National Cathedral to the glory of God chose galamsey ahead of the almighty God.

The president in 2017 declared to all Ghanaians that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line to end galamsey. He proceeded to set up an Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). The Committee chaired by Prof. Frimpong Boateng did not leave up to expectation as committee members and other key stakeholders engaged to help end galamsey were fingered for engaging in the menace.

After the 2020 elections, the NPP complained they lost several parliamentary seats in the galamsey areas because of their opaque fight against galamsey. President Nana Addo proceeded to disband the IMCIM signalling the government's disinterest in fighting the galamsey menace.

The NPP's explanation for their disinterest in fighting galamsey are not genuine. For instance, in the Upper West Region, the NPP moved from 5 seats to 3 seats and in the Upper East Region, they moved from 3 seats to 1 seat after 2020 elections. These regions are not known for galamsey and so this deflates the claim that the NPP lost seats in the galamsey areas because of the galamsey fight. The NDC's heavy numbers in the current parliament is not only sourced from mining constituencies.

The only reason for the NPP's resistance of the galamsey fight is because of their extra large packets. The Prof. Frimpong Boateng galamsey report has fingered government appointees at the Jubilee House and several NPP bigwigs as deeply involved in the menace.

The President's cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Former Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Lord Commey, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Essikando-Ketan, Charles Bissue among others were mentioned to be conduits for the flourishing galamsey menace under this government. The above names are among the most powerful in this government and so it is clear that there is no interest in killing it.

This report angered the president and Frimpong Boateng was exited from his office. The Attorney General who was to lead the prosecution of offenders mentioned in the report decided to exonerate these offenders saying there is no sufficient evidence.

Another powerful NPP member who is supposed to be in jail because of galamsey is on the streets campaigning for Dr. Bawumia. Akonta Mining owned by NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako also known as Wontumi was cited in a Joy News documentary as engaging in galamsey on the Tano Nimiri forest reserve without license.

Desite video evidence of the company's activities, President Nana Addo jumps to the company's defense saying; “I want to assure you all that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any form of illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak.” This is in sharp contrast to the admissions of the Lands' Minister that the company actually engaged in galamsey.

To back NPP's determined effort to continue illegal mining, the Land's Minister, Abu Jinapor snubs Organized Labour's call for total ban on small scale mining because galamsey largely emanates from that. The minister warns a ban on small scale mining will collapse the economy because our foreign exchange will deplete by 40 percent.

The NPP 2024 message on galamsey is not also assuring enough. They are intentioned to keep promoting the menace because key members of the Bawumia campaign keep assuring illegal miners that they will return seized excavators to them and to encourage them to keep destroying our land and water bodies.

The above narrations prove the government prefers the destruction of our water, air and land whom God has given us for free and require of us to protect. The NPP is focused on enriching its members irrespective of the repercussions galamsey possessed.

The repercussions of galamsey in Ghana is so severe such that it will be proper to declare Ghana as modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. New born deformities and major organ dysfunction in mining areas are mainly due to the pollution of our waters bodies, air and land through galamsey.

Galamsey also contributes to deforestation and land degradation leading to limited land for agriculture. This is evident from the fact that our cocoa output has diminished in the last few years with its latest contribution to foreign exchange falling sharply from $1.45 billion in the first half of 2023 to just $760 million in the same period this year, marking a staggering 47.7% decline.

The above repercussions make me side with Organized Labour's decision to lay down their tools to pressurize government to stop the menace. Not only Organized Labour but data from the October Global InfoAnalytics Poll suggests 90 percent of Ghanaians want a ban on galamsey.

We have glorified galamsey and the economy crashed to a point where we cannot even settle our debts as a country. It is time our leaders give ears to the concerns of Ghanaians and forge together to crash this galamsey menace instead of the economy.

By Taluta Gbanha Mahama

mymahamataluta@gmail.com

Sissala West District