Professor Christopher Gordon kicks against burning of galamsey equipment

Environmental scientist and former Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana, Professor Christopher Gordon, has advised against burning mining equipment seized from illegal miners. These include excavators, changfans, and water-pumping machines.

His caution follows last month’s actions by the anti-galamsey 'Operation Halt' task force, which burned over 30 changfans used for illegal mining on the Birim River at Mampong in the Eastern Region. The task force also took similar action on the River Pra in the Central Region, where it destroyed 10 changfans, a pistol, and eight water-pumping machines.

Delivering a keynote address at the Achimota Speaks event on Wednesday, 13 November 2024, under the theme “Ghana's Death by Galamsey: Who Will Bell the Cat?”, Professor Gordon expressed his disapproval of the decision to destroy these machines.

He stated that “one of the biggest problems with the way we've been handling galamsey is the burning of excavators and changfans in the bush, releasing all the hydrocarbon pollution.”

“Can we not find a way to circumvent that? Can we not use the power plant because it's a power plant for hospitals, as a gen set, as a pumping machine for irrigation power for our factories that are supposed to be in the districts?” he asked.

Professor Gordon further voiced his opposition to calls for the anti-galamsey task force to 'shoot and kill' illegal miners, arguing that this was not a solution and emphasising that the country should “not remove part of your human capital by killing them. It doesn’t make sense.”

In a statement dated Wednesday, 9 October 2024, and signed by Information Minister Fatimatu Abubakar, the government announced a new phase of ‘Operation Halt’ in its renewed fight against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey. The military task force has been set up to work with the Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana to intensify efforts against illegal mining on water bodies.

The move was in response to public outcry over illegal mining and the threat by organised labour to demand government action on illegal mining, amid the devastation of water bodies, forest reserves, and the environment.

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