By The Bono Region is one of the food baskets of the country. It is gradually losing its natural resources. These include fertile land, plantations, and rivers. The loss is due to activities of illegal mining, popularly known as “galamsey.”
Galamsey activities are spreading quickly in the region. This spread is threatening food production. Tracts of land suitable for agriculture have been destroyed in search for gold.
A visit to Nipanikrom, Surubokrom, and Operator near Bandaboase in the Banda District showed the destruction caused by the galamseyers. Branam in the Wenchi Municipality also revealed significant damage. They have destroyed farmlands, water bodies, and forest reserves with impunity.
Havoc
When galamsey is mentioned in the country, attention shifts elsewhere. It usually goes to other parts of the country such as Ashanti, Western, Central, and the Eastern regions.
However, many Ghanaians do not know that the Bono Region is actively involved in the menace. It wreaks havoc on fertile land, rivers, and forest reserves.
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It is devastating to see how fertile lands and cashew plantations are being destroyed. Popular rivers such as the Tain River are also being harmed by the ‘galamseyers’.
The Tain River was once clean and surrounded by giant trees. Now, it has turned yellowish, with only grass left along its banks.
The illegal miners have blocked rivers. This includes the Tain River. They laid pipes to supply water to their illegal operation sites. As a result, the rivers have dried up.
Their activities have created deep pits. These pits have been left uncovered. Thus, they currently serve as death traps to residents. This is particularly concerning for farmers and strangers in the communities.
These illegal miners have erected make-shift structures in the deep forest to serve as their accommodation.
Further, the illegal miners have drilled boreholes at places where there are no rivers to facilitate their operations.
They have installed solar panels. They also stationed generators to supply them with power. This allows them to operate even deep in the night.
Some of the illegal miners have permanently settled in the deep forest to facilitate their daily illegal activities.
The ‘galamseyers’ have encroached on parts of the concession of the King Award Ghana Limited. This company is currently undertaking exploration in the area.
Operations of some illegal miners are close to the edges of roads. These operations are gradually eating up those roads.
Excavators
During our visit, we observed several illegal miners. They were busily digging for gold. The miners used excavators, changfangs, pumping machines, and other equipment.
The Daily Graphic gathered information from the communities. It found that some cashew farmers were selling their cashew farms to the galamsey operators for mining.
The source said with as little as GH¢1,000, a ‘galamseyer’ could purchase one acre of cashew plantation to mine.
The region is likely to lose its enviable name as “food basket”. This will happen if measures are not put in place to halt the activities of illegal miners immediately.
Bono Regional Minister
The Bono Regional Minister Joseph Addae Akwaboa led members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to some of the sites. He expressed shock and dismay about the level of destruction caused by the illegal miners in the region.
Joseph Addae Akwaboa (right) is the Bono Regional Minister. He is listening to Alex Twumasi, the PRO of King Award Ghana Ltd, who gave directions to the galamsey sites. With them are DCOP Joseph Gyamera Oklu (left), Bono Regional Police Commander, and others
I am so shocked. I don’t know how to describe these galamsey activities in the region at the moment.
“If you stay in Accra or Sunyani, you will think there are no galamsey activities in the region. However, today I have realized that it’s happening quietly deep in the forests,” he said.
Mr Akwaboa said “If we don’t act fast to halt these activities now, then the region is doomed.” He explained that “a time will come when we won’t get water to drink. We also won’t have food to eat.”
He said the REGSEC had put in place advanced strategies to combat the illegal mining in the region.
“The fight against galamsey will not be easy, but we will fight and win the battle,”
he said.
Bui Dam
Mr Akwaboa said urgent action must be taken to halt operations of these illegal miners. Otherwise, their activities could endanger the Bui Dam and the Bui Power Authority’s
(BPA) installations.
He said the REGSEC would soon take serious action against these illegal miners. This action is to protect the Bui Dam and BPA installations.
Mr Akwaboa said the team had identified all galamsey-prone areas in the region. He explained that the team would go after operators in their hiding places.
He cautioned the Chinese and the Ghanaian nationals engaged in the activities to leave all galamsey sites with immediate effect.
“As far as I remain in office as the Bono Regional Minister, I will combat this illegal mining. I am not going to allow them to operate in this region,” he said.
Arrest chiefs
Mr Akwaboa also vowed to arrest traditional leaders who have released lands for illegal mining. He will prosecute those who played any role in the illegal mining in the region.
“I am sending this warning to all chiefs in the region. If I find any chief involved in illegal mining, I will arrest that chief. I will also prosecute them. So, stop releasing lands to illegal miners,” he said.
Mr Akwaboa said the REGSEC had picked intelligence that some chiefs had released lands to the illegal miners. He explained that they had identified all the chiefs. “Very soon, we will go after them,” he added.
“If you are a chief and you know you have released land to galamseyers, take action immediately. Drive them out of the land. Otherwise, we will come after you,” he warned.
Mr Akwaboa said he would put politics aside in the fight against galamsey. He warned those involved in galamsey to stop their operations.
He advised cashew farmers to stop selling their cashew farms to galamseyers. The government would soon roll out interventions. These measures will make the cashew industry lucrative.
Mining exploration
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of King Award Ghana Limited is Alex Twumasi. He said the company secured the exploration licence in 2021.
Land devastated by galamsey
He said the operations of the illegal miners had affected their exploration activities.
Mr Twumasi explained that the galamseyers at Operator are part of the company’s concession. They had lived in the area for more than 30 years.
He, however, explained that the destruction worsened when the illegal miners started introducing excavators and other heavy machines.
Mr Twumasi again said several galamseyers had moved to the area. They were originally operating in the Ashanti, Eastern, and Central regions. This movement was due to the constant operations of the anti-galamsey taskforce in those regions.
“After realising that there is peace in this area, most of them moved into the region to continue their operations.
This has worsened the destruction within a few years,” he said.
No jobs
Zakaria Seidu is a 32-year-old illegal miner at Surubokrom. He told the Daily Graphic that the lack of jobs had forced some of them to engage in illegal mining.
He said he owned some changfangs and had been renting them to other illegal miners daily.
Seidu tried to justify their operations. They claimed that illegal miners who used changfangs did not cause any destruction to the environment. This included water bodies.
He said it was only those using excavators who were destroying forest reserves and the water bodies.
