IMANI Africa’s Vice President, Kofi Bentil, has declared that Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, will fail without decisive political will from President John Dramani Mahama.
He stressed that while the President has taken early steps to show commitment, the issue remains deeply entrenched in Ghana’s political system, and superficial actions will not suffice to end the crisis.
“The erstwhile government’s record on galamsey is abysmal and it’s one of the reasons why the NPP lost with the margin that they lost. To that extent, what President Mahama is doing is better than what President Akufo-Addo did. But that’s not enough”
Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa
He emphasized that political actors are central to the survival of illegal mining in Ghana. According to him, the problem is not only environmental or economic, but fundamentally political – controlled and protected by the same politicians who publicly condemn it.
Bentil condemned the interference of political leaders who frustrate enforcement efforts by ordering the release of arrested individuals. He warned that as long as these leaders continue to interfere, the military and police cannot act with integrity in galamsey-prone zones.
He proposed a radical solution, suggesting the establishment of a “galamsey commission” outside the reach of political actors. He recommended a national framework involving the military and influential traditional leaders who are insulated from partisan pressures. He argued that until such a structure is built, deploying the army or police will yield no result.
“Any time we have put the army, the police and other security agencies there, they end up getting accused of complicity. They arrest people and people at the top go ‘please release this person.’ So if we want to use our army, we need to set them in a space where they will be out of reach of the politicians”
Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa
Better Structural Integrity
He continued by saying the new structure should involve the Asantehene and other eminent chiefs who would be granted authority to act independently. He added that such a commission should function like Ghana’s Small Arms Commission, with sustained national commitment and legal power to act across political cycles.
“When they take action, nobody can say ‘release this person or release that person,’” he proposed.
Bentil acknowledged that some chiefs are also complicit, which means not all traditional leaders can be trusted to participate. However, he argued that the National House of Chiefs, with proper vetting, can still play a central role in resolving the crisis if supported with enough political power and military backing.
Despite President Mahama’s prohibition against party appointees engaging in small-scale mining, Bentil expressed concern over recent remarks by top party officials claiming they are only involved in legal mining. He said these claims are evasive and ignore the clear ban placed by the President.
He insisted that claims about legality are no longer credible, especially given how past governments used similar tactics to justify involvement in galamsey. He accused some political actors of manipulating “semantics” to escape accountability.
“Increasingly, I am getting despondent about our ability to fight galamsey simply because our leaders are leading it and our people are benefiting from it”
Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa
He further claimed that a significant portion of gold being sold to the Gold Board is sourced from illegal mining. He said while this brings in revenue, it cannot justify the devastating environmental cost.
Bentil concluded that if leaders from both political parties fail to build consensus, illegal mining will destroy Ghana’s future. He warned that without political courage, all efforts – no matter how genuine – will collapse.
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