Professor of Environment and Sustainability Science at the University of Cape Coast, Professor Frederick Ato Armah, has admonished state actors to be consistent and diligent in crafting policy solutions tailored to solving the numerous challenges that the issue of Galamsey and unregulated artisanal mining brings to the country.

The call comes on the back of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences holding its third Inaugural Lecture Series for the year at its premises in Accra on June 12, 2025.

The event was on the theme ‘Fixes That Fail: A Systems Dynamic Archetype For Unpacking Illegal Artisanal & Small Scale Gold Mining in Ghana.’

The event was meant to be a platform for members and fellows of the Academy, public policy officials, selected students and the general public to digest the unintended consequences of artisanal and small-scale mining on the overall sustainability of the environment and the nation at large.

Speaking at the event, the Keynote Speaker, Professor Frederick Ato Armah, bemoaned the fact that inconsistencies in policy decisions and a lack of rigorous law enforcement by public officials in the fight against illegal mining are the main fuel fanning the flames of the wanton destruction of the environment.

We must admonish public officials and state actors empowered by law to be meticulous and consistent when it comes to crafting policy initiatives aimed at resolving the unmitigated challenges of Galamsey across the board.

In solving a problem like Galamsey, it is important to get down to the root causes of the phenomenon, the various actors in the value chain and the underlying factors that underpin the frequent involvement of the key actors in such an enterprise that threatens the very existence of the nation on the alter of economic gains.

That structured process of breaking down the vexed issues of unregulated small-scale mining will go a long way to devise actionable steps that solve the consequences of such activities once and for all.

Also, Prof Armah intimated that as a country, Ghana needs well-defined national policies that detail how we manage our natural resources, and that same vision is drummed into the national psyche of the citizens through consistent public education and social engagements.

As a nation, we must have well thought through policy guidelines on how we treat our natural resources like water, soil and forests and create public education campaigns to inform the general populace across the country on the benefits of implementing same causes of action to create a healthy country for all both economically and socially.

There must be alternative livelihood means with good income developed by duty bearers to draw the key actors responsible for the depletion of the environment to sign on as a social protection mechanism in the long run.

Such well-intentioned social intervention programmes will go a long way in whipping up the patriotic interests of the primary stakeholders in the industry.

Images from the 3rd Inaugural lecture series can be found below:

Sika Togoh | Univers.ug.edu.gh
Sika Togoh