Galamsey fight: You can plan to buy jets, but you cannot provide bulletproof vests? – Zaato asks government

Policy analyst and senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Joshua Zaato, has criticised government for not providing adequate funding for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Secretariat (NAIMOS).

He noted that if the NIAMOS taskforce members lack basic security gear like bulletproof, they will not be able to make any headway with the fight against the galamsey menace, especially when the illegal miners are armed.

Dr Zaato queried the lack of dedicated funding for NAIMOS, saying the budget allocations fall far below what is required to confront the environmental emergency.

“If you need billions to solve the problem and you allocate only a tiny fraction to NAIMOS, how do you claim strong political will?” he asked on TV3’s KeyPoints on November 22.

Dr Zaato questioned government priorities, pointing to reports that the Defence Ministry is planning to acquire new aircraft for the Ghana Air Force, while forest guards lack basic protective gear.

“You can plan to buy presidential jets, but you cannot provide bulletproof vests for the men and women risking their lives in the forest. Where are the priorities?” he said.

Dr Zaato made these comments in reaction to an assertion made by the Head of Western Region Forestry Commission, Nana Poku Bosompim.

Speaking on the same show, Mr Bosompim revealed that NAIMOS taskforce “lack basic logistics including bulletproof vests.”

“The time has come to retool the Forestry Commission…my team members do not even have bulletproof vests,” he said.

Dr Zaato contended that the public has been “misled and scammed” into believing there is strong political will behind the campaign.

Dr Zaato argued that government’s bold declarations and policy documents do not match the level of action and investment required to tackle the galamsey crisis.

He explained that political will has two main pillars — the rhetorical aspect, where leaders make speeches and pass policies, and the empirical aspect, which includes funding, logistics and decisive enforcement.

“If political will is defined by rhetoric, laws and press statements, then this government is excellent. But when it comes to funding, logistics and real action, the record is abysmal,” he said.

According to him, the contradiction weakens the claim that fighting galamsey is a national emergency.

The analyst also criticised the lack of high-level arrests, arguing that only low-level operatives are being targeted while those with financial power remain untouched.

“Out of all the arrests, how many kingpins have been picked up? How many accounts have been frozen? The people financing excavators and supplying logistics are still walking free,” he noted.

Dr Zaato proposed a complete suspension of surface mining for at least one year to allow for a reset of the sector.

He said Ghana has shown in past crises including helicopter crashes that it can reform systems when the political will exists.

“When there was a deadly crash, we said never again. We must show the same determination with galamsey. Declare a moratorium and redesign the system,” he said.