An urgent meeting has been scheduled for September 11, 2024, where all 16 Regional Ministers will converge at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in Accra to devise comprehensive solutions to combat illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as 'galamsey.'

The meeting, set to begin at 10 a.m., is being spearheaded by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, in response to the growing threat galamsey poses to the country's natural resources.

Sources suggest that the meeting will review past initiatives taken by successive governments to curb illegal mining activities, identifying areas of weakness and drawing lessons from previous shortfalls.

The goal is to have frank and practical discussions to establish actionable strategies that can produce immediate, short-term, and long-term results, implemented in cooperation with key stakeholders.

The gathering is being held under the authority of Section 11 of the Civil Service Law, 1993 (PNDCL 327), which mandates the Lands Minister to ensure sustainable management of Ghana’s lands, forests, and mineral resources for socio-economic development.

The devastating environmental effects of galamsey have placed increasing pressure on the government to act swiftly and decisively, with political opposition accusing the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of failing to tackle the issue effectively.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has continuously criticized the NPP administration for what it describes as deliberate inaction on galamsey. With the 2024 general elections looming, illegal mining has become a hot-button political issue, with both sides of the political divide using it to score points.

Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor, however, has called for a unified approach to tackling the galamsey menace, insisting that the issue should not be treated as a partisan political matter. In a 2021 statement on the floor of Parliament, Jinapor emphasized the need for national consensus in dealing with illegal small-scale mining, noting that the problem predates the current administration.

“The impression sometimes is created that illegal small-scale mining just happened overnight. That is not correct… it has been a challenge for decades,” Jinapor stated. He referenced discussions from 2013, where the issue was raised during the vetting of former Lands and Natural Resources Minister Alhaji Inusah Fuseini.

“Even before the NPP came into government in January 2017, galamsey activities had already destroyed the country’s water bodies and forest reserves,” he noted.

Jinapor appealed for support from both sides of Parliament, urging collaboration to fight galamsey in a non-partisan spirit. “We have 275 Members of Parliament, and if I was lucky to receive the support of even 80 of the Members, I have no doubt that we can deal with the issue of illegal small-scale miners in this country,” he said, emphasizing the need for a united front.

The Lands Minister also outlined a series of interventions the current government has introduced to tackle galamsey, including the training of small-scale miners, the introduction of community mining initiatives, and legal reforms targeting equipment usage and license acquisition.

Despite these efforts, Jinapor acknowledged that there are lessons to be learned and improvements to be made, which the upcoming meeting aims to address.