The national battle against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is destined for failure unless every institution in the country actively shoulders its constitutional mandate, according to Professor Sharif Mahmud Khalid, Economic Advisor at the Office of the Vice President.
Speaking with compelling urgency on Joy News’ flagship programme, Newsfile, on Saturday, September 27, Professor Khalid dismissed the popular narrative that places the entire burden of the fight on the shoulders of the Head of State, describing such thinking as a grave miscalculation.
“In my view, the fight against galamsey will fail if we leave it all to the President. It is a shared responsibility,” Professor Khalid asserted. He added, “We need to realise that every single individual, every institution in this country, has a role to play.”
Professor Khalid challenged the notion of the presidency as a panacea for the complex issue of illegal mining, arguing that the focus must shift from political figures to lasting institutional capacity.
While acknowledging that the President can give directives and has previously deployed measures like the military, the Economic Advisor stressed that this action is “not enough.”
He stated that the sustainability of the anti-galamsey campaign lies solely in the “strength of the institutions”.
Professor Khalid systematically outlined the failure points across various sectors and demanded accountability from the institutions legally mandated to enforce the law.
Professor Khalid concluded by reiterating that this is not a “political fight; this is a national survival fight.” He warned that the degradation of Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves, coupled with widespread chemical pollution, affects every citizen, regardless of political affiliation.
“We need to make sure that the institutions are working, that they are independent, and that they are empowered to do their work. That is where the focus should be. It is not about a political party or an individual. It is about the future of Ghana,” he urged.
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