The fight against illegal mining has sparked widespread debates on possible measures to deter perpetrators from engaging in the devastating canker.
Actions taken by successive governments in the fight against illegal mining, also termed as 'galamsey,' have strongly featured arrests, prosecutions and incarceration of culprits, loss of licenses, destruction of mining sites, burning of excavators, to mention a few.
However, key stakeholders in the sector are divided over the directive on the burning of excavators and other machines used in mining, which is done as a punitive measure to curb further perpetuation of the menace.
Recently, President John Dramani Mahama directed the joint military taskforce to refrain from the burning and damaging equipment seized from illegal mining activities.
