President Mahama links $10bn job creation plan to fight against galamsey
President John Dramani Mahama has linked the government’s proposed US$10 billion investment in job-creating sectors to efforts to combat illegal mining, saying the initiative will provide alternative livelihoods for young people engaged in galamsey.
He said the government’s New Economy Policy would channel US$2 billion annually into nine strategic sectors over five years to expand economic opportunities and discourage young people from risking their lives in illegal mining activities.
Speaking during a courtesy call by the Western North Regional House of Chiefs at the Presidency, President Mahama stressed that the fight against galamsey must go beyond law enforcement to address the economic conditions pushing young people into the practice.
“I believe that if we invest US$10 billion in job-rich sectors of the economy, including tourism, one of the nine pillars, it should provide alternative livelihoods for our young people and discourage them from going into galamsey,” he said.
The President expressed concern about the involvement of Senior High School students in illegal mining, explaining that some were driven into the activity by financial difficulties at home.
He said some of the students, when questioned about their presence at illegal mining sites, explained that their parents could not afford to provide money for their education, forcing them to seek income from mining.
“Alongside enforcing the law against illegal mining, we must provide alternative livelihoods. That is why we are implementing the New Economy Policy,” President Mahama stated.
He acknowledged that the government had arrested several people involved in illegal mining, with hundreds awaiting trial and others on bail pending the determination of their cases.
However, he said it was distressing to see young people facing possible imprisonment and emphasised the need to create viable employment opportunities to prevent them from entering the illegal mining business.
The New Economy Policy is expected to target sectors such as agriculture and agribusiness, textiles and garments, pharmaceuticals, oil palm production and tourism, among others, to stimulate growth and generate employment.
President Mahama also called on traditional authorities to support the government’s anti-galamsey campaign, particularly in communities close to forest reserves and water bodies.
He said chiefs were strategically positioned to help prevent illegal mining because of their influence and close connection with residents in their traditional areas.
The President noted that confrontations between illegal miners and security personnel had sometimes resulted in violence and fatalities, stressing the need for stronger collaboration between government and traditional authorities to avoid further loss of life.
He also announced that the government had provided GH¢400 million in the 2027 Budget to recruit additional Blue Water Guards to patrol water bodies and intensify efforts to destroy changfang machines used in illegal mining.
President Mahama said the government had cleared all nine forest reserves previously classified as red zones because of extensive destruction and the presence of heavily armed illegal miners. Soldiers have been deployed to prevent the miners from returning.
He added that the Goldbod had begun working with the military and the Forestry Commission to reclaim degraded lands and replant economic trees.
The President maintained that combining enforcement with sustained investment in employment opportunities would be critical to protecting Ghana’s rivers and forests while securing better economic prospects for the country’s youth.
