The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has issued a strong warning to traditional leaders and political actors who may be complicit in illegal mining, saying they will face the full force of the law regardless of status or influence.
Speaking on Hot Issues on TV3, the Minister said the government is stepping up efforts to enforce accountability at all levels of leadership including local assemblies and the chieftaincy institution in the ongoing national campaign against galamsey.
“We are getting to the place where we have to make sure that our revered institution of chieftaincy is protected… But if you are a chief and you break the laws and add to the problems I’ve described, frankly, you are not supposed to be hailed as a chief,” he declared.
The Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Local Government, in collaboration with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), is introducing performance indicators to assess the roles of local authorities in protecting the environment. Traditional authorities, he noted, must also be held to the same standard of accountability.
“I’m talking about a crisis that is going to kill all of us. So it doesn’t matter who you are,” he said, reinforcing that no title or status would shield anyone found culpable.
He revealed that the government is now moving away from the era of “pampering too many people” and is determined to back enforcement officers particularly military task forces with full political will to arrest and prosecute all offenders.
“The only big man in Ghana is the President of the Republic, and he has given you the full authority with the political will to go and fight… Make sure people who are determined to destroy us are made to pay the price,” he emphasized.
According to the Minister, soldiers have been instructed to ignore external pressures and carry out their duties without fear or favour.
The remarks come amid renewed national momentum in the fight against illegal mining, with the government launching new surveillance, excavator tracking systems, and enforcement units to curb environmental destruction caused by unauthorized mining operations.
