The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Dr Yusif Sulemana, has announced plans to establish permanent military camps along selected rivers to prevent illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on the sidelines of the Mining in Motion Summit in Accra, Dr Sulemana said the camps would help sustain enforcement operations and protect the country’s water bodies.
He explained that illegal miners often return to rivers after security personnel drive them away, making a sustained military presence necessary.
“Today, as I speak to you, we are putting permanent military men at some riverside to ensure that our young men and women who are on the river bodies mining are not able to do that.
“So, government has now agreed that we put permanent camps there so that we can sustain it. And if you look at next year’s budget, we are going to take care of that,” he said.
Dr Sulemana also rejected suggestions that the government had relaxed its fight against illegal mining because of the revenue generated from gold. He cited the seizure of excavators and other equipment as evidence of continued enforcement efforts.
