The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, has urged the country’s security and intelligence agencies to track and prosecute individuals behind the importation of excavators used for illegal mining, popularly known as “galamsey”.

His comments follow revelations by the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, during a Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House.

According to Ashigbey, individuals financing and importing the heavy-duty machines are major facilitators of environmental degradation and must be exposed and dealt with according to the law.

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Speaking on Acca-based TV3 on Monday, September 7, 2026, Dr Ashigbey highlighted the need to target the “bigwigs” funding illegal mining operations rather than focusing solely on field operators.

The Minister disclosed that illegal mining activities accounted for 25 percent of all fibre optic cable cuts recorded in 2026, resulting in more than 8,000 cuts and costing over US$20 million in repairs.

Meanwhile, Dr Ashigbey noted that while the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had made strides in seizing heavy machinery at illegal mining sites, the next critical step should involve uncovering the supply chain.

“The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has talked about excavators that have been seized, and the next phase of the fight is trying to expose these people who have been importing them,” he stated.

He questioned the apparent lack of progress by security agencies in getting to the bottom of the trade and called on top security officials to step up intelligence gathering.

“What is happening to the intelligence community? So we urge the Minister for National Security and Interior, and again the intelligence community,” Dr Ashigbey urged.

He insisted that tracing the financial trails and prosecuting the financiers behind the equipment imports would be an effective way to curb the galamsey menace.

“If you look at this, who were the people who imported them? Who paid for them? We should be able to track these people and deal with them. They are bringing equipment that is used at the theatre of the crime that is being committed,” he added.

ANAS/MA

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