Ghana is yet to deal with the barriers that are promoting galamsey activities. On records, well-known regions for the country’s galamsey activities are Ashanti, Eastern, Western and the Bono Ahafo region.

There are several indications that almost 40%-50% communities in these respective regions above have been taken over by the activities of galamsey.

Before and then government in power have putting both dynamic and static measures in place such as ban, military enforcement to fight against this canker. Various institutions have also contributed through many channels to intensify public education about the long-term negative effects of galamsey activities on lands, water bodies, forests, animal and human life. However, the more the enforcement and the education, the higher the galamsey activities rises.

So, are these people involved in these galamsey activities not aware that they are destroying farmlands, cocoa farms, water bodies, their own health and the health of others? What do galamsey workers see and feel that the anti-galamsey protestors can’t see and feel same? What inspire or motivate these galamsey workers to embark on their activities upon all the intimidation by law enforcement, burning of their processing machines, excavators, jailed in prisons among others?

Why is the government not getting success in his all kinds of efforts to fight galamsey?

There is this conception about the rise of galamsey activities in the country that are attributed to lack of jobs in the country, the involvements and the permissions from the community chiefs and government officials to the galamsey workers which I have no doubt about it. But are these few causes only the reasons why galamsey activities have become rampant in the country?

I don’t totally believe that only these are the whys that force people to mine illegally to cause harm to the country’s forest, lands and water bodies.

I heard from one of the Ghanaian journalists on the media that one of these galamsey men came to him with a request that if he, the journalist could help him, the galamsey worker to learn mechanics, he would stop doing galamsey.

From the journalist, this galamsey man later came to him and said that he no more needed his help, in fact he is ok with the galamsey activity. This scenario shows that unemployment is not the main reason why people involved themselves in galamsey activity but there is something hidden in the ore that the anti-galamsey protestors need to find out.

Nobody is happy about the pollution galamsey is causing to Ghana and her resources, but I am not absolutely convinced that only voices and actions to air can cure this cancer.

I suggest our forests, lands, and water bodies must be directly and indirectly monitored by I.T equipment.

Also, integrity must be treated as a course in all the public schools in the country, from the basic to the tertiary level. If integrity alone finds it peak in the country, I believe 90% galamsey activities will be eradicated from the country.