Financial analyst, Sydney Casely-Hayford has called for the legalization of small scale illegal mining commonly called galamsey in Ghana.
According to him, it can be captured under a category he referred to as micro scale mining and their activities should be clearly spelt out in the law.
The financial analyst further argued that it was not right stopping Ghanaians who take up mining as a profession from engaging in galamsey and thus the law could regulate their activities.
Speaking on the Citi FM’s News analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, Casely-Hayford argued that “galamsey is illegal because there is no definition for illegal mining in our laws.”
“The law says, this is large scale mining and they’ve defined it and criteria in which you can have a large scale mining enterprise.
This is small scale mining and it’s defined very clearly under the small scale mining act. Anybody who doesn’t fall under category A or category B is declared illegal. So galamsey has become illegal by default and not by action.
Now, somebody should come and tell why the Ashanti Gold Fields and the Newmont among others have the right to be mine and that my small artisanal indigene has no right to be a mine. He has a right to be a miner. This is what he has set out to be his life work, he wants to mine.
You cannot tell him, you cannot be a miner you must instead be a farmer,” he added.
After legalizing the activity, Casely-Hayford further suggested that the law could prevent miners from mining gold in water bodies.
“I think that the first thing we have to do is to make the so called galamsey legal, legalize it.
In legalizing it means giving it a law and also make it very clear that nobody, whether you are a large scale, small scale or galamsey scale…but none of them must be allowed to mine in any of the water bodies. That should be restricted because it is more important for us to have good clean healthy water than to have a law for mining. So they can go out and mine anywhere they want but they cannot mine the water bodies that is out of the question” he added.
Galamsey menace
There has been intense pressure on government to deal with the galamsey menace following reports that Ghana may soon be importing water if nothing is done.
Currently, some water treatment plants have been shut down over activities of illegal miners, which have rendered water bodies from which the plants harvest water for processing useless.
The galamsey menace has also led to the destruction of many farmlands, which serve as livelihood for a number of families.
Source: Citifmonline.com
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For those insulting Casely-Hayford, perhaps you should watch the Discovery Channel (I understand Mnet/DSTV has it too); there's this emission called Gold Rush, perhaps, the government and the "know-small but speak-bigs" will learn something useful. When I worked in West Africa in the early 90s, even in Ghana, you had already recognized the bad effects of unregulated small scale mining - as people were already dying entering abandoned mines, polluting small rivers and degrading the land looking for gold nuggets. Your country borrowed money to fix this menace, and i recall visiting places where the land was being rehabilitated, replanted with trees after the destruction, some semblance of restoring the land. Always wondered if these lands were good for cultivating edible crops after the use. You spent money to check what was being done in Guyana and I believe Australia too, etc, bought equipment, trained folks etc., strengthened institutions (Minerals commission, mines dept. etc, ministry of mines) all in the name of regulating "galamsey"; and only 2 decades later, it looks like it is time to go see the "bankers", AGAIN? What happened to one of my favorite countries, THAT WAS TO SERVE AS A LEADING LIGHT? - My two pence, I believe the elite realized they can game the system, and nothing will happen to them - they took these mining permits themselves, either resold them or engaged people who had no idea the effects of mercury on them and the communities where they "galamseyed", then the traditional authorities who were to be paid royalties, but got peanuts got involved, the other land owners got involved, but the elites who were in charge could do nothing because they are the major perpetrators and now plenty of citizens from you know where in the Far East have jumped in, don't forget the cowboys from America who tried and are probably still involved in this galamsey illegality! What to do - implement your laws to the letter, AND NOW! check out the Gold Rush program, too! Stop begging! Otherwise, train your universities to turn sea water into potable water, and be ready to suffer. I can only wish you well.
that is naaaaaasense , if he chinese really want to work they should come with their machines and do large scale mining'
I agree with Casely Hayford, if we can allow the western world to forcefully wrest the mining industry from Ghanaians, that means Ghanaians are good enough managers, and must be encouraged to continue mining. We should remember that before Anglo Gold, Ghana was in charge of our mining, and even bought Tanganyika mines in the process. We must show the western world that We were capable before, and we are still capable today. We must Take back the mines from the western world Monopoly. now. long live Ghana.
Yes the solution to galamsay is not what is being done now. Current efforts are as if to say a Bank should have its doors open and then security men should be paid to watch it. It is like engaging border guards to stop smuggling which has never worked. You cannot have gold under your rivers and cocoa and think you can stop people from going for it. If I had cocoa farm and there is gold under it, I will cut down the cocoa trees and go for the gold first. Later, I will plant cocoa again. Allow the gallamsayers but intensify reclamation efforts and get them to pay for the reclamation efforts. That is more practical.
Massa ; Casely Hayford are you INSANE !!!!!!!; what you must understand is that there is a big difference between large scale mining and small scale mining with laid down down rules ; even that the rules on large scale are not observed gtoday how much more small scale mining which has attracted chinesse and local people because today anybody who comes to kotoka with $10,000 and claims gto be an investors is allowed into GHana ; the chinese come and sheet in our rivers in pursuit of digging gold in our river basins ; it is just like saying legalise grugs when you know 'galamasey' is destroying our rivers with toxic materials ; massa Casely think about the future because it is this very river waters that we all drink and in another 5 years the incidence of cancer related diseases will rise whilst our health service will not be able to cope but by then all the gold mined by these chinese will end up in Dubai or ; WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW TODAY'S GREED to influence our decisions today besides whaty you create to will be reflected in the future because there is a future for our children and grandchildren if Casely -Hatford die today that is not the end of the world ; the world willstill continue ; Casely -Hatford should think again and STOP ADVICATING FOR GALAMASEY an evil trade to condonned in Ghana ; IT MUST BE STOOPED FOR THE SAKE OF OUR POLUUTED RIVERS : WE NEED WATER BECAUSE WATER IS LIFE AND NOT GOLD ; BESIDES THERE IS REASON WHY THE CREATOR PUT THE GOLD THERE; BECAUSE IF YOU DISTURB THE DEAD YOU SHALL EXPOSE YOUR SELF TO CALAMITIES IN FUTURE !!!!!!!!CASELY HAFORD PLEASE LEARN AND BNE A PATRIOTIC GHANAIAN AND NOT A HYPOCRATE AND A LIAR !!!!!!!
Mr. Casely Hayford's suggestion that it is about time the Government considers legalization of galamsey's illegal activities does not make sense. Galamsey activities should be curtailed, discouraged because any desire of the government to legalize galamsey opens the flood gate for illegal trafficking and exportation of the country's precious minerals to other countries across our borders. Secondly, the havoc and menace and the pollution to citizens' water source are problems that need careful consideration. I think Mr.Casely Hayford didn't think through seriously at the time he made his comment considering the unintended menace galamsey activity is subjecting some citizens to.
Casely Hay ford, you are out of your mind. You talk garbage.