The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is set to undertake a nationwide field exercise to assess the impact of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, and independently examine the progress made in addressing the menace.
The initiative will follow a one-week dialogue and symposium on galamsey, after which a team of veteran and experienced journalists will visit mining communities and affected areas across the country.
President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, announced the initiative at the 2026 National Mining Dialogue on Tuesday, August 18. He said the exercise will involve visits to mining sites and communities, as well as assessments of affected rivers and degraded lands.
The team will also engage miners, farmers, traditional leaders, regulators and other stakeholders to obtain a comprehensive picture of the impact of illegal mining and efforts to address it. Mr Dwumfour stressed that the exercise will be independent of government and will seek to establish the facts on the ground.
“This exercise will be independent of government,” he said, adding that the GJA would “go there to find the truth” and publish its findings irrespective of whether they pleased the government or the opposition.
“We will report what we find. If there has been progress, we will say so. If there are gaps, we will identify them. If there have been failures, we will report them,” he said.
The GJA President said the initiative is intended to provide an independent assessment of the galamsey situation and contribute to national efforts to address the environmental and socio-economic consequences of illegal mining.
He also called for the fight against illegal mining to extend beyond miners operating at the bottom of the supply chain to include financiers, equipment suppliers, gold buyers and other actors who facilitate the illegal gold economy.
He urged authorities to adopt a “follow the chain” and “follow the money” approach to identify and prosecute those financing and benefiting from illegal mining.
“The law must apply equally,” he emphasised.
Source: GNA
