BY: VoltaOnline | Dawda Mohammed Kakale
Illegal mining activities popularly known as ‘galamsey’ have significantly reduced on the Pra River since President Mahama took office on January 7, 2025.
The fear of a government crackdown has forced many miners to abandon their operations, leaving behind deserted mining sites and heavy machinery.
A visit by some media personnel from Takoradi on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, to illegal mining areas in Twifo Praso revealed that most illegal miners had removed their excavators, large generators, and other mining equipment from their sites.
The reason, as discovered by the newsmen, is the uncertainty surrounding their operations under the new government. Many miners fear that the administration may relaunch Operation Vanguard, a joint military-police task force set up to combat illegal mining in Ghana.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Richmond Homatu, a security guard at one of the mining sites in Twifo Praso, Central Region, stated that most of the site owners had become skeptical about continuing their operations due to the change in government.
“We have to be careful because the government can send soldiers to arrest us, and this fear is discouraging people from investing in galamsey,” he said.
According to him, the uncertainty about the government’s stance on illegal mining has led many miners to withdraw their operations until there is clarity.
However, he revealed that some miners are still operating because their illegal concessions are owned by Chinese nationals and their well-connected Ghanaian counterparts. These individuals allegedly receive advance warnings about security raids, allowing them to evade arrest.
“Some of our bosses are well-connected, and they get information about raids before they happen. So, we leave the sites before the security personnel arrive,” Mr. Homatu added.
While illegal mining activities on the Pra River have slowed down, residents continue to suffer from the devastating environmental impact caused by years of uncontrolled mining. The once pristine Pra River, which was a primary source of drinking water and domestic use, has now turned muddy and polluted, making it unsuitable for consumption.
Mr. Hussieni Adams, a local resident who guided the journalists to the galamsey sites in Twifo Praso, lamented the destruction caused by illegal miners.
“In the past, we used the water from the Pra for all our domestic needs, but now it is completely unusable. This river was once very clean; we even drank from it. Now, it’s muddy, and we can’t even wash our clothes with it,” he said.
The community members are calling on the government to take urgent steps to restore the river, as the pollution has affected their health, agriculture, and fishing activities.
Further checks by the media team confirmed that despite the decline in illegal mining activities on the Pra River, the water remains highly polluted. Residents attribute this to ongoing galamsey operations on rivers such as the Offin and Tano, which are tributaries of the Pra.
Some of the residents warned that unless illegal mining is stopped completely across the country, the pollution of water bodies will persist, posing a serious threat to public health and livelihoods.
Many residents are now looking to the government for decisive action to reclaim the country’s water bodies, enforce mining regulations, and provide sustainable job opportunities for youth engaged in illegal mining.
Source: Dawda Mohammed Kakale-Journalist, Takoradi
