Security analyst and retired military officer, Colonel Festus Aboagye, has called for a comprehensive, multi-agency strategy to effectively combat illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Col. Aboagye says the military, acting alone, cannot successfully tackle the galamsey menace. He stressed that addressing the crisis requires the coordinated efforts of all relevant security and regulatory institutions.
He was speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, 18th July.
“We need now to get the Armed Forces and get the Police, Immigration, Prisons, Customs, FDA, and get all these experts together, and then they will map up. Nobody must jump up to say let’s deploy the military because the military alone cannot fight galamsey. “
He noted that, as some individuals involved in illegal mining are foreign nationals, the Ghana Immigration Service must be actively engaged in identifying and managing cross-border participation.
Furthermore, due to the financial transactions associated with the activity, he called for the involvement of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.
Touching on reports of drug use among illegal miners, Col. Aboagye urged the inclusion of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Narcotics Control Commission in the national response.
He also pointed out that, as many galamsey operators are armed, the Small Arms Commission should play a role in controlling the influx and use of weapons.
Col. Aboagye, therefore, called for “Full political support, not the type of operation we see where there is a whitewash.”
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