Security analyst Colonel Festus Aboagye has lamented the lack of political will in Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, suggesting that the problem persists because those responsible for enforcing the law are themselves compromised.

Speaking on The KeyPoints with Alfred Ocansey, Colonel Aboagye highlighted a widespread culture of protection and silence within the political class and security services.

“The current Minister has said several times, ‘I will name and shame.’ Before him, others made similar pronouncements — ‘we will name and shame.’ Yet, to this day, no one has named or shamed anyone, because those involved span all political affiliations and cuts across the spectrum of our society,” he stated.

He emphasized that the failure to address the crisis is not just about inaction, but about complicity at the highest levels of power. “The police are not the only ones who may have been involved in galamsey. They were part of a broader system — call it the regional security structure,” he explained.

In his assessment, political and institutional entanglements make it nearly impossible to hold individuals accountable.

“The state possesses the intelligence, but it cannot act because ministers are involved. Party officials are involved. So you couldn’t just single out the police,” he added.

Colonel Aboagye’s remarks paint a grim picture of Ghana’s fight against galamsey — one in which meaningful progress seems unlikely unless the entrenched network of mutual protection among officials is dismantled.