Dr Tony Aidoo is the former ambassador to the Netherlands
A former Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Tony Aidoo, has called for a strong military deployment to curb illegal mining activities in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Dr Aidoo said Ghana’s fight against illegal mining requires more than rhetoric and it demands sustained, forceful action using the nation’s security services.
“I’ve already said [that] I think on this issue, I share [the view] that now the solution [lies] in putting the military to work. Don’t the military get paid? Why are they sitting in the barracks?” he said.
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Dr Aidoo, in a broad assessment of existing enforcement measures, maintained that the military are paid to safeguard Ghana’s territorial integrity and should be decisively deployed to dismantle illegal mining camps, secure reclaimed sites, and subsequently be redeploy to other identified hotspots.
“You are paid to defend our territorial integrity, and the territorial integrity is under attack now,” he said. “They are not paid to sit in the barracks,” he added.
His remarks follow the JoyNews Hotline documentary titled “A Tax for Galamsey: The extortion racket fueling illegal mining,” which has sparked national outrage and intensified debate on governance in the mining sector.
The documentary exposes how a sophisticated “pay-to-mine” network in the Amansie Central District has allegedly allowed illegal miners to operate with apparent approval from officials.
Undercover reporting and secret recordings suggest that miners are charged fixed fees, including GH₵6,000 per year for banned changfan machines in exchange for uninterrupted operations, with stickers, receipts and bank deposits formalising the transactions.
At the centre of the exposé is the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie Central, Emmanuel Obeng-Agyemang, whose recorded statements appear to confirm his involvement in the authorisation of this illegal operation.
The revelations have triggered widespread calls for his dismissal and possible prosecution.
Dr Aidoo acknowledged that deploying the military alone is not a panacea but argued it must be part of a clear, ongoing strategy to disrupt entrenched galamsey operations.
“Two battalions, a thousand soldiers, armed, supported by platoons… as soon as you clear the forest, you leave the platoon there,” he said.
SO/VPO
Source:
www.ghanaweb.com
