Convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Kenneth Ashigbey has argued that Ghana’s efforts in tackling illegal mining will remain unconvincing unless politicians involved in the activity are held accountable through prosecution.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme on Saturday, May 10, 2025, Dr Ashigbey pointed to cases where individuals linked to political power had been accused of engaging in galamsey, yet no legal action had been taken against them.

“The elephant in the room is the politically exposed people who are involved in this,” he said. “For me, I would have expected a bit more decisive action from His Excellency, the President.”

According to him, illegal mining is both highly profitable and complex, with strong connections to influential individuals. He noted that without strong political will, efforts to end the practice will not yield the desired results.

He also drew attention to the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, particularly in forest reserves. He revealed that nine forest reserves across the country had been declared inaccessible due to the extent of damage caused by illegal miners.

He added that while some work had been done, such as the reclamation of two reserves in the Ashanti Region, task forces deployed to these areas often lack the capacity to match the strength and resources of the illegal miners, who are sometimes armed and well-organised.

He urged President John Dramani Mahama to take a firmer position on the matter, stressing the need to investigate and prosecute all those involved, irrespective of their political affiliations.

To him, failure to do so sends the wrong message and undermines public confidence in the state’s resolve to deal with the problem.