Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has called for a decisive shift in Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, urging Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to target high-profile financiers and enablers of galamsey rather than focusing solely on impoverished frontline miners.
The advice came during a high-stakes meeting on Friday, February 14, 2025, when the minister and his delegation visited the Manhyia Palace to secure the Ashanti monarch’s support for sweeping reforms in the lands and natural resources sector.
“Arresting young people digging for survival is not the solution. Go after the big fishes who profit from this destruction,” Otumfuo declared, linking the illegal mining crisis to systemic unemployment and poverty. His remarks underscored the delicate balance between enforcement and socio-economic intervention, as the government seeks to reverse the ecological devastation caused by galamsey.
Minister Buah, flanked by heads of sector agencies, outlined the grim toll of illegal mining: 44 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves have been ravaged, while turbidity levels in major rivers have skyrocketed from 5,000 to 12,000 NTU—a direct threat to water security. He detailed aggressive measures, including a newly inaugurated 18-member expert committee to overhaul mining licenses, reclassify mining categories, and reform the troubled Community Mining Scheme.
“We are resetting the sector,” Buah stated, praising Otumfuo’s past interventions in land disputes and seeking his endorsement for new afforestation projects like the “Tree for Life” initiative. The minister also acknowledged the Asantehene’s symbolic and practical influence, particularly in Ashanti, where land-related conflicts remain rare compared to other regions.
Otumfuo, while expressing confidence in Buah’s leadership, pressed for deeper structural reforms. He criticized the rampant sale of public lands to government officials—a practice he demanded be halted—and reiterated that sustainable alternatives for youth livelihoods are critical to curbing galamsey. “If young people have dignified work, they won’t poison rivers for crumbs,” he argued, challenging the ministry to craft vocational programs tailored to mining communities.
The meeting highlighted the political and cultural complexities of Ghana’s environmental battles. While the government emphasizes crackdowns and policy overhauls, traditional leaders like Otumfuo wield unmatched moral authority to sway local sentiment. His push to prosecute elites complicit in illegal mining, however, touches a nerve in a sector long dogged by allegations of corruption and political protection.
Earlier in the day, Buah joined the Ministers of Interior and Defence to tour the stalled Afari Military Hospital, a project launched in 2014 under the Mahama administration but abandoned during Akufo-Addo’s tenure. The visit, though unrelated to the mining discussion, served as a reminder of the contentious infrastructure legacy shaping current governance debates.
Analysts note that Buah’s outreach to Otumfuo signals a strategic pivot to rally traditional leaders as allies in the galamsey fight. Yet skepticism persists. Past governments have launched similar “radical” initiatives with limited success, often hobbled by weak enforcement and vested interests. For Otumfuo, the test lies not in plans but in action: “The forests and rivers cannot wait,” he warned. “Future generations will judge us by what we save, not what we promised.”
As the delegation left Manhyia Palace, the stakes were clear. With elections looming and public frustration mounting over environmental decline, the ministry’s ability to heed Otumfuo’s advice—targeting the powerful, not just the poor—could determine whether this chapter becomes a turning point or another false dawn.
