The government’s feat in reclaiming 800 acres of galamsey degraded land at Nyankumase in the Manso Adubia District of the Ashanti Region evokes mixed feelings.
It is commendable that so much land degraded by reckless persons, as those entrusted with the task of protecting our lands and forests failed to respond positively but rather partook in the anomaly, has been reclaimed.
It is a development which offers government a whiff of fresh air in the face of accusations of not doing enough to eradicate illegal mining after an assurance to Ghanaians that they have the wherewithal to do so.
It is our hope that more such reclamations would be recorded in the illegal mining degraded forests across the gold-bearing areas of the country.
The development is testament to the fact that it is not enough to assign state agents to undertake the gigantic assignment of protecting our resources at all levels when insincere politicians whose party is in power pay lip-service to the anti-galamsey crusade.
Just how did so much land get degraded without the alarm button being pressed? Sadly, there are more begging to be reclaimed.
We are pained to observe that beneath the reclamation feat are emerging details about the continuous destruction of our water bodies and forests.
Previously, our concentration had been on water bodies, as farmlands suffered under the weight of illegal mining.
As we relish the banner headlines about a reclamation, let us give thought to the ongoing rape of other forests beyond the reach of the law enforcement assigns trying to bring the illegal mining activities under control.
Without seeking to be xenophobic, let it be known to our compatriots and the authorities that there has been a huge migration of foreigners from sister West African countries, especially the Sahel, their port of call being the illegal mining locations. These illegals come here under the auspices of big guys in the industry who arm them.
They have been emboldened because their ‘godfathers’ are power brokers and so they are untouchable. The stories about illegal mining persist, yet the industry continues to thrive to the detriment of our natural resources.
Our national security architecture could not have been more challenged. For how long shall we countenance this insult to our country as armed foreigners rape our forests? Replicating this nonsense by Ghanaians in countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali can simply not be possible. No way. Many cocoa farmers are now selling their farmlands to illegal miners, who are able to pay them cash for the transactions. This has been given further impetus because of the delayed payments for cocoa by government.
Beyond the reclamation is a huge base of illegal mining occasioned by further destruction of huge swathes of farmlands.
The fresh dimension of armed foreigners being added to the milieu worsens the anomaly; the whole action is being perpetuated under the shadow of politically connected persons as part of the division of the spoils of elections. Real victory in the galamsey war will remain a dream for a long time to come.