Government's Stop Galamsey Committee Was Completely 'Useless' And 'Bogus' - Atik Fumes

Atik Mohammed has fired shots at the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Illegal Mining that was set up by the Akufo-Addo government to oversee operations in the mining sector some three years ago.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Mining (IMCIM) was chaired by Prof. Frimpong Boateng, former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.

It was tasked to regularise and reform the activities of small-scale miners as well as work to resolve the illegal mining menace.

In line with fighting the menace, an anti-illegal mining taskforce “Operation Vanguard” whose members were primarily soldiers was established to facilitate the work of the IMCIM.

Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme Thursday morning, May 6, Atik Mohammed branded the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Illegal Mining as a "useless Committee".

Atik held that the Committee did nothing fruitful but only wasted the Ghanaian taxpayer's money.

"If there is any bogus Committee ever set up in this country, it is that Committee. They wasted our money. You see, an intervention is cost-efficient to the degree that the money you invested compared to the outcome is small. What I mean is that the input is less than the output in terms of value so that, the money we invested compared to the work they did, we could say they did a good job. But the money we gave to that Committee or taskforce, what useful thing did they do with it? They have not been able to stem the galamsey tide," he stated, stressing "it was a useless Committee'".