Time to Involve, Empower and Hold Accountable, Traditional Authorities in the Fight against Galamsey
Ghana’s battle against illegal mining, galamsey, is far from over, and it is clear that the state alone cannot win this war.
While numerous task forces and military interventions have been deployed, galamsey continues to ravage our rivers, forests, and farmlands.
What is missing is the formal inclusion and accountability of traditional authorities in the fight.
Traditional leaders are, in some areas, the custodians of the land and generally hold considerable influence over their communities. Yet, they are often sidelined in the national effort to clamp down on illegal mining.
This must change.
Government must formally include traditional authorities in anti-galamsey strategies, not as spectators, but as co-enforcers.
To ensure real commitment, chiefs and other local custodians should be required to sign undertakings pledging to keep their jurisdictions free of galamsey.
These documents would not be symbolic, they should come with clear sanctions. If galamsey is found within a traditional area, the responsible leaders must face consequences, including public censure, withdrawal of certain state benefits, or other appropriate legal or administrative actions.
This approach is not about shifting blame, it’s about shared responsibility. By making traditional leaders part of the solution and holding them accountable, we tap into their moral authority and local knowledge.
If government is serious about protecting our environment and future generations, then empowering and regulating traditional authorities is a necessary step forward.
Let’s act now, before galamsey buries our land, rivers, and future.
KASISE RICKY PEPRAH
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