Galamsey Operations   and Sustainable  Development in Ghana

By Mawutodzi Abissath

Environmental destruction of Galamsey operators
at work in Ghana

A popular Ghanaian proverb admonishes us thus: “ If you plant a tree before you die, your name will not die unless your tree also dies.”

Global lexicons of Ghanaian origin

Ghana seems to be one country in Africa that has ignited not only the taper  in the field of politics and democracy in terms of being the first black African nation to obtain independence in 1957.  Ghana has also contributed to the world “medico-scientific-lexicon”  where the term  “Kwashiorkor” , a Ga  word for  a childhood malnutrition disease that occurs when there is not enough protein in the diet.

Kwashiorkor

Kwashiorkor is now a vocabulary that has been adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has been in use since 1935 when a Jamaican pediatrician Dr. Cicely Williams was reported to have introduced it in medical community in her ‘Lancet article’, according to Wikipedia.

Sakawa

Anther  lexicon of Ghanaian origin in the field of technology  which  connotes negativity, though, but  is  gaining  global recognition is “Sakawa” which is widespread practice in Ghana that  combines modern  internet-based fraud practices with traditional religious rituals. The practice is mostly indulged in by the youth who are materialistically crazy and want to get rich quick without sweating in life.

Galamsey

Ghana is today confronted with an environmental catastrophe through “galamsey” which is a corrupt form for “gather and sell” simply refers to illegal small scale mining in our country. Galamsey has become another notorious lexicon of Ghanaian origin like Sakawa which is gaining global recognition as a vocabulary that can be written without putting it in quotes.

Many well-meaning Ghanaians are gravely concerned with the galamsey operations because they do not only affect the environment to the detriment of present generation but pose a threat to the very existence and survival of posterity as far as sustainable development and food security go.

Graphic Editorial

On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, the Daily Graphic wrote an editorial under the heading “Galamsey operations under fire,” (see page 7).  In that 20 paragraphs editorial comment, the paper focused on the work of the Inter-ministerial Task Force on illegal mining and their impact so far.

 The opening paragraph reads: “The move by the government to stop illegal mining in the country is yielding dividends.” And the 20^th and last paragraph concludes:

“The DAILY GRAPHIC salutes the task force for a good work done so far, but they must keep their eyes on the ball to safeguard our natural resources for future generations.”

This author wants to pick it up from where the Daily Graphic’s editorial left off. What does the Daily Graphic mean by “… to safeguard our resources for future generations?” What are the natural resources and who are the future generations?  Well, on the face of the editorial page, the terms are common knowledge.

Biodiversity

But in the humble view of this writer, natural resources and future generations go beyond what we all know or understand them to be.  Most times when scientists or experts use their technical jargons in their technical research papers, they end up confusing us ordinary mortals on this planet of environmental confusion.

Thus, biodiversity, in this context simply refers to our fufu with any type of soup or sauce, be it palm nut, ground nut, light-soup or whatever we eat with that fufu.  It also refers to the banku or akple with okra soup or tilapia gravy as well as Ga or Fante kenkey with ‘abom’ or shitor that we enjoy with our bare fingers and not fork and knife.

In fact, if you eat fufu or banku or kenkey or akple with cutlery, you will not be able to lick   your fingers where the taste comes from. I don’t think we can substitute this traditional way of enjoying food electronically even if they are digitally cooked through microwaves.

Again biodiversity encompasses other resources like wood we use for charcoal; herbs we use for herbal medicine for “cooco”; spices, barks, fruits, nuts, medicines and so on. In fact, God is good that He made these resources plentiful and we use them freely that we take them for granted.

Other biodiversity which mankind, especially we Ghanaians  take for granted is referred to as “bio-physical” which embodies all living and non-living things including natural resources such as freshwater bodies. The current sorry state of Korle, Sakomonoo and Kpeshie lagoons all in Accra illustrates the point.

Again, look at what galamsey criminals have done and continue to do to our major rivers such as Pra, Densu, and Ankobra, even the almighty Volta River are all being poisoned, polluted and contaminated with reckless abandon. When we kill our rivers and water bodies, they don’t die alone but go to the grave with all other aquatic creatures from tiny fishes like “one- man-thousand” to huge mammals like hippopotamus. Who cares?

Environmental Laws of Ghana

Coincidentally,  on the very  day that the Daily Graphic wrote the editorial in question,(June 11,2013)  the Ghanaian Times , too, carried  a full page advertisers statement from the Environmental Protection Agency titled: “Compliance Notice” The write-up contains  the Environmental Assessment Regulation 1999 (L.I.1652) (see page 17). This author wonders whether anybody enforces these regulations.  

Agricultural Biodiversity

Research indicates that “at least 10% of the total land area of Ghana is under some form of protection for sustainability. Ghana’s economy is said to be largely dependent on agriculture. And agricultural biodiversity includes all the components of biological diversity for food and agriculture. That it consists of ecosystems known as “ agro-ecosystems” which “ is composed of the variety and variability of animals, plants and other organisms, at the genetic, species system, its structure and processes.”

Agricultural experts say that Ghanaian agro-ecosystems include food and cash crop plantations on all kinds of landscapes, animals husbandry and production and fishery. That food crops cultivated in Ghana include cassava, yam, cocoyam, sweet potato, onion, pepper, tomato, cabbage, garden egg, and other species, nuts, pods and pulses which give us our mouth-watering meals.

In Ghana, cash crops cultivated, according to the experts include cocoa, cola, coffee, shea, nutmeg, oil palm, coconut and many others. This research finding is contained in a brochure published by the erstwhile Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology in commemoration of 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme UNDP.

What actually motivated this author to write this article was the conclusion in that brochure. “All of these agro-ecosystems have replaced natural vegetation, especially forest vegetation. Agricultural biodiversity must be properly conserved and used sustainably to continue to provide goods and services for sustainable development.”

My question is, Can galamsey operations guarantee sustainable development (what the French call “développement durable” in Ghana?  

The author  works with the Information Services Department in Accra

Contact: abissath@gmail.com