The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, says Ghana is making progress in the fight against illegal mining, although the country is yet to achieve its desired results.
Mr Kotoko acknowledged that the scale and persistence of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, means the problem cannot be resolved overnight. He said Ghana is no longer where it used to be, but admitted that more work remains to be done.
He also commended the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) for its continued efforts to tackle illegal mining, rejecting claims that its establishment duplicates the work of previous anti-galamsey taskforces.
According to him, previous interventions did not always achieve the expected results, while NAIMOS represents a different approach to addressing the menace.
Mr Kotoko maintained that the fight against illegal mining remains a government priority, particularly because of its impact on Ghana’s forests and environment.
He stressed that although the country has not yet reached its desired outcome, ongoing interventions indicate that Ghana is moving in the right direction in the fight against illegal mining.