Galamsey and government corruption are at the heart of the destruction of Ghana. The unregulated flow of gold and money generated by the financiers and pirates engaged in galamsey is an open spigot into the hands of government officials and police. The illegal mining industry is destroying the foundational principles of Ghanaian democracy.
The air, land, water, and, by extension, the food of Ghana are polluted by galamsey. The once-pristine resources of our great nation are being sacrificed for gold and money. Those who are charged with protecting the people, this Administration, like the previous one, looks the other way and pretends to be serious about enforcement.
I will push Parliament to revise the laws against galamsey. Punishment must include mandatory jail time, impoundment, and forfeiture of all equipment, as well as hefty fines to be used by the newly formed Bureau of Land Reclamation Police and Enforcement. The Bureau of Land Reclamation will have the authority and duty to confiscate all land grants, leases, and titles involved in galamsey.
I will issue a Presidential Order forming a Galamsey Task Force under the direct supervision of the Vice President and the Ministry of Justice to target those involved in galamsey. The task force will include supervisors and officers of the Bureau of Land Reclamation Police and Enforcement, Bureau of National Investigations, Economic and Organized Crime Office, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, and investigators from the Ghana Revenue Authority. All task force members will be interviewed and appointed by the Ministry of Justice. The focus of the task force will be to target, shut down, and prosecute galamsey violators using all available technology at the disposal of each agency.
I will issue a Presidential Order that all heavy-duty construction equipment currently in and subsequently entering the country shall be registered and outfitted with GPS tracking, directly monitored by the Galamsey Task Force. This anti-galamsey registration will carry a fee equal to 15% of the annual vehicle registration. Failure to obtain an anti-galamsey registration for heavy-duty construction equipment will subject the vehicles to confiscation and sale by the Galamsey Task Force. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from fines, confiscated land, and equipment resulting from the Galamsey Task Force’s actions will be added to their annual budget. The remaining twenty-five percent of the money will be used for water, air, and land reclamation projects.
