Editorial: Is NPA Really Helping In Fighting Galamsey?

In our editorial yesterday, titled “Sammy Gyamfi’s GoldBod Fighting Galamsey? Talk Is Indeed Cheap!”, The Chronicle expressed grave concern over the alarming rate at which illegal mining continues to ravage the environment, particularly in parts of the Eastern Region. We questioned whether the numerous anti-galamsey pronouncements being made by state institutions are translating into meaningful action on the ground or merely serving as public relations exercises while environmental destruction continues unabated.

That editorial was prompted by disturbing scenes witnessed by The Chronicle during a recent visit to the Eastern Region. What we observed on the stretch between Osino and Akyem Abomosu should alarm every Ghanaian who cares about the future of this country.

The scale of devastation was shocking. Illegal mining activities were taking place openly along major roads and within communities without any attempt at concealment. Vast tracts of what were once productive cocoa farms had been transformed into lifeless pits, mounds of sand and stagnant pools of water. Vegetation had disappeared and fertile agricultural lands had been sacrificed in the relentless pursuit of gold.

Even more disturbing was the state of the Birim River. Once a vital source of water, livelihood and economic activity for countless communities, the river now stands as a symbol of the environmental catastrophe unfolding before our eyes. The sight was not merely concerning; it was heartbreaking. If one of Ghana’s major rivers can deteriorate to such a deplorable state despite years of anti-galamsey campaigns, then it is legitimate to ask whether Ghana is winning the war against galamsey or merely winning the public relations battle.

It is against this backdrop that The Chronicle believes attention must now turn to another state institution whose role in the fight against illegal mining deserves urgent public scrutiny, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

Our concern stems from what we witnessed during our visit to illegal mining enclaves around Akrofo, Samama, Kwabeng and Abomosu in the Akyem Abuakwa area. While the excavators, miners and devastated landscapes were impossible to miss, another development equally caught our attention, the growing number of fuel stations operating within and around these mining-dominated communities.

We wish to state clearly that we are not suggesting that every filling station operating in a mining community is aiding illegal mining. Neither are we arguing that residents of these communities should be denied access to fuel and other essential services. Such an argument would be both unfair and unreasonable.

However, what cannot be ignored is the obvious relationship between fuel availability and illegal mining operations. No excavator functions without diesel. No processing plant operates without fuel. No illegal mining enterprise can survive without a steady and reliable supply of petroleum products. Fuel remains one of the most critical inputs in the galamsey value chain.

This reality raises legitimate questions that the NPA must answer. Does the Authority monitor unusual fuel consumption patterns in communities notorious for illegal mining? Does it investigate filling stations recording abnormally high fuel sales in areas where galamsey activities are rampant? Has it developed enhanced regulatory safeguards for communities where illegal mining has become deeply entrenched?

These questions have become even more pertinent following a petition submitted earlier this year by the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey. The coalition called on the NPA to conduct data-driven audits of fuel sales in mining hotspots, identify suspicious consumption patterns and sanction operators found to be facilitating illegal mining activities through fuel supplies.

The proposal was neither radical nor unreasonable. Indeed, if the nation is serious about combating galamsey, then every component of the supply chain that sustains it must come under scrutiny. It makes little sense for the state to spend millions of cedis deploying security personnel, confiscating excavators and prosecuting illegal miners while paying little attention to the fuel networks that keep their operations running.

The NPA possesses the regulatory authority, industry oversight and data systems capable of detecting unusual fuel distribution patterns. If fuel sales in a particular locality significantly exceed what would ordinarily be expected from legitimate economic activity, such anomalies should trigger regulatory curiosity and investigation.

What concerns The Chronicle is not that the NPA is deliberately supporting illegal mining. Rather, it is the possibility that regulatory gaps may unintentionally be creating an enabling environment for galamsey to flourish. This is not an accusation. It is a call for vigilance. At a time when rivers are turning brown, cocoa farms are disappearing and entire ecosystems are being destroyed, every state institution must critically examine whether its policies and operational decisions are helping or hindering the national fight against illegal mining.

The NPA has an important role to play. Beyond ensuring fuel availability and price stability, it must also ensure that petroleum products do not become the lifeblood of environmental destruction. As we argued yesterday, the fight against galamsey cannot be won through speeches, press conferences and grand announcements alone. It requires difficult decisions, proactive regulation and institutional accountability.

The NPA must, therefore, reassure Ghanaians that it is not merely regulating fuel distribution, but is also actively ensuring that fuel does not end up powering one of the greatest environmental crimes confronting our nation.

The time has come for the Authority to demonstrate that it is part of the solution and not, however, unintentionally part of the problem.

 

 

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