The National Concerned Association of Small-Scale Miners (NCASSM) has called for an investigation into the use of over $200 million allocated to combat illegal mining between 2017 and 2024.
The government received funding and grants from the World Bank and other international bodies to address illegal mining in the country.
However, concerns have been raised about the misuse of funds, particularly for the procurement of vehicles, drones, and GPS tracking devices.
Speaking to Citi News, Michael Kwadwo Peprah, President of NCASSM, urged the government to set up an independent committee to audit the expenditure and hold those responsible for financial mismanagement accountable.
“Government since 2017 has had over $200 million to fight this canker that this country has been faced with and these monies were being mismanaged. As a matter of fact, over 50 pickups were purchased for the inter-ministerial committee against galamsey and as we speak now, these pickups can’t be found.
“We purchased 2 million dollars worth of drones, and these drones can’t be found and we realised that a lot of people have made a fortune out of the fight against galamsey. We cannot even say for a fact that the fight against illegal mining was a success.
“So, we are calling for government to initiate a committee to probe the amount of money spent and how it was spent and if anyone is found culpable these people should be dealt with,” he stated.
NCASSM also called on the Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources to seek expert advice to effectively tackle illegal mining and ensure the sustainability of the sector.
Peprah advised the minister to collaborate with experts who understand the small-scale mining industry to address the challenges effectively.
“He should align himself with people who are technocrats, who understand the small scale mining sector so that going forward we can collaboratively resolve whatever we are going through because gold is the order of the day… hence if we don’t understand why people are engaging in galamsey, we will get it wrong, because if you do not understand the problem, how can you resolve it?” he said.