Fight against galamsey: We are not out of the woods yet – Minister

’Galamsey’ fight may take between 4 to 10 years, Abu Jinapor

Galamsey activities still rampant in communities

Government remains committed to sustaining, regulating mining sector - Minister

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has admitted that it may take a longer time to completely eradicate illegal mining activities across the country.

According to him, the fight against ‘galamsey’ is likely to take between 4 to 10 years.

Speaking in an interview on the GTV Breakfast Show on Tuesday, January 18, Samuel Abu Jinapor explained the complexity of the fight against the menace.

“I must admit that we are not out of the woods yet. We have not achieved the desired results yet. Indeed, we do not have a full grip on the issue of illegal small-scale mining in the country yet. It may take some 4 to 10 years to completely nip the menace in the bud,” he admitted.

“Nevertheless, we also have to admit that we have made considerable gains, and we have gotten to a point where we can reasonably be encouraged that the proper framework and the building blocks have been put in place to deal with this age-old menace,” the minister added.

Despite the admission, the lands minister said government has so far made some gains towards eradicating the 'galamsey' menace while implementing key reforms to regulate the mining sector.

“I am referring to the process of acquiring license for small-scale mining, a platform for doing so, inspectorate division of the Minerals Commission, among others. Though we have not arrived at the point we seek to reach, we have so far made substantial progress,” the minister explained.

He, however, assured that government remains committed to fighting the 'galamsey' menace and ensuring that water bodies and the environment are well protected.

“We are not going to relent. What has happened in the past is that most of the measures put in place do not stand the test of time, and then there is a resurgence of the menace. We are going to be totally committed, all the measures we have introduced are going to be enhanced this year,” he assured.