As the Finance Minister prepares to present the 2025 budget statement to parliament, the Chief Executive Officer of Dalex Finance Finance, Joe Jackson, the government must earmark funds to fight illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) activities.
He said that it is only through a dedicated budget that the government can indicate its unambiguous commitment to ending the menace.
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The Ghanaian government has approved the 2025 fiscal policy document ahead of its official presentation to Parliament on March 11.
This decision, made during a special Cabinet meeting on Thursday, reaffirms the administration’s commitment to economic stabilization and sustainable growth.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu assured Ghanaians that the government remains committed to fulfilling its social and economic promises. He confirmed that the fiscal policy will reflect the administration’s 120-day pledges, including the removal of the betting tax and COVID levy.
Additionally, the budget will outline the financial state inherited by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government while offering hope and strategic policies for national development.
In a post on his X page, reacting to this, Mr Joe Jackson said “A 2025 budget allocation to the anti-galamsey fight will be the most unambiguous indication of the government’s commitment to resolve the galamsey mess. Over to you Hon Cassiel Forson.”
Mr Joe Jackson’s comments come at a time when the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah revealed that 44 of Ghana’s forest reserves are under serious attack by heavily armed illegal small-scale miners.
He says that the forest guards and rapid response team from the Foretsay Commission are unable to tackle these illegal miners because they do not have the sophisticated weapons that the gallamasyers possess.
Briefing Parliament on the state of Ghana’s forests on Thursday, February 20, the Minister said “Ghana’s forests continue to be under serious threats of deforestation and forest degradation due to factors known to all of us. Ghana is currently faced with an unprecedented threat to our forest resources and water bodies due largely to illegal small-scale mining activities.
“This situation has assumed crisis proportion of dire national security and public health consequences that require immediate attention.”
He added “Mr Speaker, it will interest you to know that out of the 288 forest reserves, a whopping 44 of these forest reserves are under serious attack by illegal miners, they are heavily armed with sophisticated weapons and very violent with a large number of excavators making it extremely difficult for a forest guard and rapid response to control them since they have no such sophisticated weapons to control them. Over 9 out of the 44 forest reserves have been completely taken over by these illegal mining thugs with impunity. The Forestry Commission no longer has access to these forest reserves. ”
Prior to his submission, the Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, had expressed the government’s commitment to win the fight against illegal small-scale mining.
Murtala assured that measures had been put in place to stop galamsey.
“There’s no denying the fact that politicians are engaged in galamsey… It’s shocking to note that as of 2022, the state had taken a decision to withdraw security forces who were preventing people from engaging in galamsey in all galamsey areas.
“No [rethoric], we want to do less talking and much work. I can tell you what we’re doing is profound. Some of the things I can’t put out there. I had some engagement today, [Wednesday, February 19] with some organisations and institutions to see how we can stop galamsey and at the same time restore the water bodies,” he told Accra-based Citi FM
He assured that Ghanaians will see changes in the galamsey fight in a few months.
“By the will of God, within some few months, the people of Ghana will see some drastic changes as far as our water bodies and galmsey are concerned.”
