The Chief of Dokrochiwa Dawu in the Eastern Region, Barima Ogyeahoho Anom, has reiterated that the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) can only be won if Ghanaians — especially those in authority — put national interest above personal gain.
He revealed that he recently rejected a GH¢50,000 bribe offered to him by individuals seeking permission to operate illegal mining activities in his area, stressing that he would never compromise his conscience or the wellbeing of his community for financial gain.
“I was offered GH¢50,000 for that to happen, but I refused vehemently. No matter the amount or what is involved, I will never succumb to that. That money will not do anything, considering how long it takes for land to recover from such devastation,” he said.
Chief Speaks at ACEPA and UNICEF Monitoring Visit
Barima Anom made the remarks during a community engagement at Dokrochiwa, when a joint delegation from the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), UNICEF, and Members of Parliament visited Ayensuano and Dokrochiwa to assess child labour, trafficking, and protection systems in mining-prone communities.
The delegation included:
-
Issifu Lampo, Senior Governance Advisor, ACEPA
-
Paulina Sarvilahti, Chief of Social Policy and Inclusion, UNICEF Ghana
-
Lucia Soleti, Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF Ghana
-
Francis Adjartey, Head of Social Welfare and Community Development
-
Hon. Joshua Yaw Lartey, DCE for Ayensuano
Also present were Hon. Ernest Yaw Anim, MP for Kumawu and Chairman of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, and Hon. Joseph Appiah Boateng, MP for Afram Plains South and Chairman of the Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions Committee.
Powerful Figures Behind Galamsey
The chief alleged that wealthy and influential individuals were the real financiers behind galamsey operations, using the youth as cheap labourers while they reap the profits.
“It is not the youth buying those excavators; they are too expensive. It is the big people who are behind all this. They use our young ones as labourers while they sit in comfort and count their money,” Barima Anom said.
He added that one identified individual had refused multiple invitations from traditional authorities to answer questions about his involvement in illegal mining.
“He has just refused to come, but that will not deter me. I will never allow such acts under my watch,” the chief emphasized.
Call for Stronger Laws and Parental Guidance
Barima Anom urged the government to introduce harsher penalties for illegal mining offenders, including life sentences for repeat violators, to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We need laws that truly bite. If it takes the harshest penalties, even life sentences, to stop this destruction, so be it. Only strong enforcement will end this menace,” he stated.
He also appealed to parents to discourage their children from abandoning school to engage in illegal mining, describing the issue as a national crisis that transcends politics.
“This is not about NPP or NDC; our children will suffer if we don’t act now,” he warned.
