Sack MMDCEs Involved in Galamsey – Journalists Appeal to President John Dramani Mahama
A group of journalists reporting on environmental issues is appealing to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama to immediately dismiss Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) found culpable in illegal mining (galamsey) activities.
According to the media practitioners, they organized a fact-finding mission to several mining regions, including Ashanti, Central, Western, Western North, Ahafo, Bono, and other areas where illegal mining is rampant. During their visits, they engaged with local residents and indigenous communities who revealed that several MMDCEs, appointed under the current administration, were already involved in galamsey activities before their appointments.
The residents alleged that some National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency executives, who have since been appointed as MMDCEs, are known owners of illegal mining sites. These claims, according to the locals, are an “open secret” and well known to operatives of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), the police, and other state security agencies operating in the affected regions.
Particularly in the Ashanti, Western, and Western North regions, the journalists noted that several NDC constituency executives and parliamentary candidates from the 2024 general elections—now serving as MMDCEs—have intensified their involvement in galamsey. These appointees reportedly shield their associates, referred to as “their boys,” who engage in illegal mining with impunity. These individuals are emboldened by the protection of their superiors, who also chair Municipal and District Security Committee (MUDSEC) meetings, giving them influence over local security decisions.
The media team also discovered galamsey sites that have effectively become “no-go zones” for the Anti-Galamsey Security Task Force. This task force, sanctioned by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to clamp down on illegal mining, has been rendered ineffective in some areas due to the protection these illegal miners enjoy from local authorities.
Some security officers in the districts, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed to the journalists that several reports concerning these illegal activities have been submitted to the appropriate authorities but remain unacted upon. This, they lamented, undermines the fight against galamsey and results in the misuse of state funds allocated to combat the menace.
The journalists, whose reporting focus is on environmental and illegal mining issues, are therefore calling on President Mahama to take decisive action. They urge him to dismiss any MMDCE involved—either directly or indirectly—in galamsey, once concrete evidence is provided. This, they believe, will serve as a strong deterrent to other appointees and reaffirm the government’s commitment to fighting illegal mining in Ghana.
