President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the involvement of Senior High School (SHS) students in illegal mining, saying some are turning to galamsey because their parents cannot afford to support their education.
He said some of the students arrested during anti-illegal mining operations had told authorities they resorted to mining to earn money because their fathers could not provide them with funds to attend school.
“Often, when enforcing the fight against galamsey, we find even Senior High School students in illegal mining pits. When you ask them why they are there, they say their fathers could not give them money to go to school, so they have come to work and earn some money. It is a major issue we need to confront,” he said.
President Mahama made the remarks during a courtesy call by chiefs from the Western North Region, where he called for support from traditional authorities in the fight against illegal mining.
He said the government had arrested several young people involved in galamsey, with hundreds awaiting trial and others on bail pending trial.
The President said it was troubling that young people, including students, could face imprisonment for engaging in illegal mining, stressing the need to address the economic circumstances driving them into the activity.
“It saddens me that we have to enforce the law and that some of these young people may have to go to jail for engaging in illegal mining,” he said.
President Mahama said the fight against galamsey must combine law enforcement with measures to create alternative livelihood opportunities for young people.
“The question we must ask is: what alternative do we have for them? Alongside enforcing the law against illegal mining, we must provide alternative livelihoods. That is why we are implementing the New Economy Policy,” he said.
He expressed optimism that investment in job-creating sectors of the economy would help reduce the number of young people turning to illegal mining.
President Mahama said he believed an investment of US$10 billion in productive sectors, including tourism, could create alternative livelihoods and discourage young people from risking their lives in galamsey.
“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.
He called on chiefs and other traditional authorities to support the government in tackling illegal mining, particularly by helping address the challenges within their communities that push young people into the activity.
