Ing Wisdom Edem Gomashie
Mining consultant, Ing. Wisdom Edem Gomashie, has publicly called on President John Dramani Mahama and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to take urgent and transparent steps in addressing the systemic failures within Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Reacting to recent arrests of young, unauthorized miners, Ing. Gomashie questioned the government’s strategy of targeting only the operators on the ground while allowing the financiers and political sponsors to remain untouched.
“Why arrest the suspects—who in your words are just hungry boys trying to survive—instead of going after the owners of the excavators and the MPs, Ministers, MMDCEs, and other influential figures behind them, as you promised?” he asked.
He further challenged the government to account for why the chassis numbers of seized excavators have not been used to trace and apprehend their true owners, a step that had been previously suggested as a key measure in identifying the masterminds behind illegal mining operations.
Ing. Gomashie stressed that without clear answers to these questions, the government risks eroding public trust and weakening the credibility of its environmental and natural resource governance agenda. He proposed a bi-partisan national strategy that integrates both traditional and innovative approaches to sustainably combat the galamsey menace.
“The country must either confront this issue honestly or apologise to Ghanaians,” he said, warning that political will without accountability will not bring the desired results.
The concerns come at a time when President Mahama’s administration has recommitted itself to ending illegal mining and restoring degraded lands across the country. The Lands and Natural Resources Ministry, under Hon. Buah, is expected to roll out a revised framework in the coming months, with greater emphasis on community participation, enforcement, and traceability in the use of heavy mining equipment.
Ing. Gomashie’s statement adds to growing calls for a more robust, transparent, and equitable approach to natural resource governance—one that targets not just the symptoms of illegal mining, but the entrenched networks that sustain it.
