Prof Adei Blames Political Actors, Traditional Leaders and Security Agencies for Enabling Galamsey
Professor Emeritus and Statesman, Stephen Adei, has blamed the persistent pollution of Ghana’s water bodies on the direct complicity of political actors, traditional authorities and elements within the security services, arguing that illegal mining continues to thrive because those mandated to curb it actively enable the practice.
Speaking at a public forum, Prof. Adei asserted that successive governments have lacked the political will to decisively confront galamsey, noting that the current administration has, in his view, “legalised” aspects of the practice through the establishment of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).
According to him, GoldBod’s operations undermine the fight against illegal mining, despite the Board’s insistence that it purchases gold only from licensed small-scale miners. He challenged this claim, arguing that the agency’s inability to differentiate between compliant miners and illegal operators raises questions about its legitimacy.
“If GoldBod can truly distinguish genuine small-scale miners from galamseyers, then we would have solved this problem long ago,” he said, stressing that the purported due diligence processes have not translated into meaningful enforcement on the ground.
Prof. Adei further observed that the destruction of river bodies and forest reserves is not accidental but facilitated by a network of influential actors who profit from the illegal trade. He emphasised that without the active involvement of politicians, chiefs and security personnel, the scale of environmental degradation witnessed across mining communities would be impossible.
His comments add to ongoing public debate over the effectiveness of the government’s anti-galamsey strategy, with environmental groups and policy analysts calling for stronger accountability mechanisms and stricter enforcement across the mining value chain.
