Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has criticised the government for prioritising gold mobilisation over the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. He says that despite years of discussions and initiatives, Ghana’s government galamsey fight has yielded little progress.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Mr. Bentil observed that while many actions have been taken, they have not translated into meaningful results.

“Activity is not the same as progress. We are seeing a lot of actions, a lot of discussions, but no real change,” he said.

He explained that the government has focused on building gold trade structures instead of solving the core issue of illegal mining.

“Despite all the talk, this government has not done much to stop galamsey. Yet, we have managed to establish Goldboard, pass new laws, set up institutions, and even begin buying gold. Millions of dollars’ worth of gold have been mobilised and sold, but illegal mining continues,” he stated.

According to Mr. Bentil, the country’s attention has shifted from protecting the environment to exploiting gold from galamsey sources to boost the economy.

“We have set up systems to harness galamsey gold and convert it into dollars to stabilise the economy, but we still haven’t stopped the mining. The focus is wrong,” he stressed.

He warned that while the economic gains might appear positive, they reflect misplaced priorities and a lack of sincerity in addressing the issue.

“People are watching the talk, not the action. I’ve been hearing the same promises for over ten years. As we speak, there is more galamsey today than before. New mining equipment keeps entering the country and ending up at galamsey sites,” he said.

Mr. Bentil concluded that Ghana’s continued profit from illegally mined gold highlights a moral and policy failure.

“Let’s be honest— we are doing more to mobilise the gold than to stop the mining,” he declared.