KEY POINTS
- The galamsey trade-off risks Ghana’s environmental future.
- The recent military crash has increased the urgency to combat illegal mining.
- Mining must be legal and environmentally responsible.
The head of Ghana’s One Ghana Movement, Senyo Hosi, has warned against what he calls a dangerous temptation: trading the nation’s environmental future for the quick cash of illegal mining.
Hosi told JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday that “galamsey is an environmental crime” and should never be weighed against short-term economic pressures.
“We need to hold the cedi, and I agree with that, but we cannot achieve this by jeopardizing the future of our children and their descendants,” he said. “Water is life.”
Galamsey’s toll on water and forests
Hosi stressed that while mining has a role in Ghana’s development, it must be done responsibly and legally.
Also, he warned that the destruction of water bodies, forest reserves, and human potential in pursuit of illicit gold undermines the country’s long-term prospects.
“We are depriving this country of great human resources that could transform policy for the good of our children’s children,” he said.
Galamsey trade-off risks national conscience
The campaigner linked his comments to last week’s military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom district, which killed two cabinet ministers and six others.
Moreover, the victims were reportedly involved in anti-galamsey operations. Hosi, who narrowly avoided boarding the ill-fated flight, said letting the incident fade without meaningful change would be “a huge block on our own conscience as a people.”
Call for decisive action against illegal mining
Hosi said Ghana’s repeated deployment of soldiers and police to tackle illegal mining has come at a high human cost.
“We’ve tried everything,” he said, “and today we have rendered eight families without breadwinners. If we let this pass and not let it count, we fail ourselves.”
