A political scientist and senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Joshua Zaato, has warned that efforts to curb illegal mining in Ghana will be futile unless the government traces the destination of gold produced through galamsey operations.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Thursday, Dr Zaato said the failure to account for the flow of galamsey gold poses a serious threat to the country’s economy and national security.
“It’s very clear that if you voted for the NDC because it promised superior policies and solutions to tackle galamsey, you have been completely scammed,” he said.
Dr Zaato highlighted the troubling disconnect between official regulations and the reality on the ground. While the (Gold Board) only buys gold from licensed buyers, galamsey mining continues to surge, producing significant quantities of gold.
“The question every Ghanaian must ask is: what happens to the galamsey gold? We are told nobody touches it officially, yet production is increasing. So where is this gold going?” he asked.
“The reason I’m saying this is important is that if you are producing such a precious natural resource, and the price in the world market is skyrocketing, where is it going? Is it going to cartels? Is it going to terrorist organisations? Is it going to people who do not share in the wealth of this country? Isn’t that a black hole, and shouldn’t we be concerned about where the Galamsey gold goes? Especially since we’ve also been told that it is not being exported.”
Dr Zaato also dismissed claims that galamsey gold is not being exported, warning that until authorities trace its path, all anti-illegal mining measures will be ineffective.
“Unless and until we know where galamsey gold is going, all these efforts will be fruitless,” he said, adding that millions of dollars could be slipping away unnoticed.
He further highlighted the national security risks:
“It is dangerous not to know where this amount of money, millions of dollars, when you get it, is going to. If we don’t know, it’s a serious national security issue, and we must face that. The question has to be, We need to know where Galamsey gold is going to go.”
He further stressed the national security implications, describing the situation as “dangerous” and calling for urgent action. “It is a serious national security issue. We need to know where galamsey gold is going,” Dr Zaato concluded.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com