The Director of Intelligence Analysis at the Ministry of National Security, Dr Victoria Sam, says measures are far advanced to effectively deal with the illegal mining menace in the country.
She acknowledged that illegal mining (galamsey) was one of the major issues crippling the Ghanaian mining industry.
In a speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the 4th West Africa Mining Security Conference organised by the Australian High Commission in Ghana, Dr Victoria Sam explained that galamsey posed significant security and economic threats to Ghana, leading the government to institute measures to help deal with the canker.
She noted that the five-member inter-ministerial committee set up by the president would come up with effective strategies that would help save the country's water bodies and forest reserves. "One of the nation's most critical challenges is illegal mining, or 'galamsey,' which poses a severe threat to the sustainability of our natural resources and the livelihoods of countless citizens. "In response, the Minister for National Security is leading an ad-hoc committee established by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reassess the government's strategic approach to eradicating galamsey," she said.