The Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and Chair of the Constitutional Review Committee, Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh, has raised serious questions about the state’s capacity to tackle illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, amid concerns over weak regulation of urban challenges.
In a post on his Facebook page, Prof. Prempeh argued that the government’s inability to control commercial minibuses (trotros), motorbike taxis (okadas), and the unchecked growth of slum settlements on public land reflects a broader governance problem.
“How can a State that cannot regulate trotro, okada or aboboyaa or check the proliferation of slum settlements on public land fight galamsey! BROKEN WINDOWS!” he wrote, referencing the “Broken Windows” theory, which links visible signs of disorder to wider societal breakdown.
The post has sparked debate online, with many Ghanaians echoing concerns that weak enforcement of basic regulations undermines efforts to combat environmental crimes and illegal mining.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has directed the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations (NAIMOS) Task Force to deal ruthlessly with illegal miners as the government intensifies its fight against galamsey.
He reiterated the administration’s determination to end illegal mining, describing it as a national security threat that demands urgent and decisive action.
“The fight against illegal mining is not going to stop, and every measure at the Presidency is going to be used. I charge you with a profound sense of duty and patriotism. Any recalcitrant who enters these zones is not only a trespasser, but also an enemy of the state. You are to be firm, resolute, and ruthless.
“You will take no obtrusive intrusion from any big man. Remember, the biggest man in Ghana is the President, and he is the one who has sent you,” he said.
