Arrests and seized equipment not enough to judge galamsey fight – Prof Bokpin

Professor Godfred Bokpin, an economist, has urged for a nationwide review of the Mahama administration's efforts to combat illegal mining. In an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he claimed the government's response appears insufficient compared to the devastation caused by galamsey. Rather than judging progress solely through arrests and equipment seizures, Prof Bokpin believes the country should evaluate if the government is meeting its initial goals set upon taking office.

He questioned, "What were the clear targets we set for ourselves as a country when the new administration took over, in terms of how it wanted to respond to irresponsible mining?" Bokpin further emphasized that with the President over one and a half years into his term, it is time for a comprehensive national assessment to determine whether the measures adopted so far are adequate.

"I think President Mahama has been in office for more than one and a half years; we should have a national review. Are we on track? Is that all we ask for the government to do? Is that all that the government will be able to achieve within one and a half years?" he questioned. Prof Bokpin argued that the government's actions fall short of addressing the magnitude of environmental damage inflicted by galamsey.

He likened the government's efforts to "far less than the size of the disaster the country faces." Additionally, he posited that the government's struggle to implement a stronger response might be due to the state institutions and officials inadvertently contributing to the issue. "This is only so because the State itself, my considered view, is that the State itself is complicit in this matter. The State may be playing a facilitating role in all of this," he stated.