Galamsey has turned from ordinary citizens into a transnational organised crime – Prof Aning

Prof Kwesi Aning is a security expert

Security expert Prof. Kwesi Aning describes galamsey activities in the country as a form of transnational organised crime.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, September 2, 2024, Prof. Aning said that illegal mining activities pose an existential threat to the country and jeopardize the country’s international reputation.

He was commenting on the recent statement by Ghana Water Limited on the challenge of supplying water to parts of the Central Region due to the pollution of the Pra River by galamsey activities.

“This has gone beyond ordinary citizens. We are talking about levels of collusion that span every facet of the state and transnational organized crime of citizens from different countries, whose activities, not only in galamsey but for today’s purposes, it is galamsey and the way it pollutes water, pose an existential threat to Ghana, which is increasing tensions between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

“But even more worryingly, the money made from these activities jeopardizes our international reputation by contributing to illicit financial flows and the financing of violent extremist activities elsewhere,” he said.

According to Prof. Aning, it is a shame that the country is not combating galamsey activities.

He further claimed that it is possible that some state officials are involved in or facilitate the activities of illegal miners, citing the case of Aisha Huang as an example.

“For any state where its leaders conspire, are unable or unwilling to use the power entrusted to them for generations, and deliberately allow others from other countries to do what is happening, it is not only shameful, but a disgrace.

“Because it’s heavy equipment, if I want to break down the people involved, someone is giving visas to the Chinese to come here. The Aisha Huang case was very clear about the level of state incompetence and complicity.

“Nobody knew if she had left this country, nobody knew when she had come back, nobody could dismantle her network, and we stood on the sidelines and as one of my panelists said, just talking,” he added.

He stated that although Ghanaian involvement in illegal mining was initially limited, given the scale of the investments involved, it can no longer be classified as purely illegal small-scale mining.

“… I like the statement made by the Chinese ambassador a few years ago: ‘stop talking about China because who will give them the visa to come to this country?’ Every embassy in Ghana has an intelligence officer who assesses the visa application.

“So we have to hold a mirror up to ourselves, and then we have to tickle ourselves and laugh because we are simply not doing what we are paid to do with taxpayers’ money. So if you look at the levels of investment in galamsey now, the Ghanaian part of that investment is very small. It has gone from illegal small-scale to something else,” he said.

MAG/AE