Ghana’s young people must urgently step up and reclaim the country by any means necessary. That’s this 70-year-old unnamed Ghanaian man’s passionate message during recent protests against illegal mining in the gold-rich West African nation. Government officials, politicians and party financiers have been implicated in illegal small-scale gold mining – known as ‘galamsey.’ The term comes from the phrase “gather them and sell.” Galamsey has been blamed for the destruction of Ghana’s forests, farmlands and water system. On becoming President in 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo established the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, chaired by the environment minister. However, the problem has persisted, with warnings from authorities that the country may have to import water by 2030. Major rivers – such as the Pra, Ankobra, Oti, Offin and Birim – have all been contaminated by illegal mines, leading to an increase in kidney failure, cancer and birth defects.
Perhaps Ghana’s next generation should take inspiration from Kenya’s Gen Z, whose defiant protest scuppered IMF-backed tax hikes.
Video credit: @Starr 103.5 FM
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/articles/ce9z5z5nxrgo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMNYkEKVSAo
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/ghana-must-stop-galamsey-before-it-sinks-the-country
https://www.myjoyonline.com/impose-ban-on-small-scale-mining-in-ghana-health-workers-to-akufo-addo/