The Director of Operations at the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Col Dominic Buah, has stressed that while mining remains an integral part of Ghana’s economy, urgent measures must be taken to address the environmental and health risks posed by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking at the NAIMOS Editors’ Forum and quarterly press briefing held in Accra on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Col Buah underscored the need for sustainable mining practices that safeguard both public health and the environment.

“It's the sustainability that we are looking at. The health impact and the risk of the galamsey must be stopped. So, we're looking at the sustainability of mining,” he said.

Col Buah outlined three key pillars guiding NAIMOS’ operations: prevention, restoration, and sustainability.

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He said these pillars are essential in addressing the longstanding challenges of illegal mining across the country.

Col Buah also noted that previous anti-galamsey efforts faced major hurdles due to a lack of coordination among institutions.

“Coordination appeared to be lacking, even though all the previous initiatives had good intentions and purposes. They are all geared towards addressing them. But because we didn't have clear coordination, everybody, every institution, was doing their own thing,” he explained.

The absence of a unified approach, Col Buah added, resulted in inefficiencies such as duplication of efforts and poor allocation of resources.

He stressed that moving forward, a coordinated, sustainable strategy is vital to effectively combat illegal mining and its associated risks.

MRA/AE

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