FixTheCountry pushes for chiefs, youth to spearhead anti-galamsey campaign

The pressure group FixTheCountry has renewed calls for decisive action against illegal mining, stressing that without urgent intervention, Ghana could face what it described as a “Mad Max wasteland.”

Posting a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, September 15, the group argued that the time had come for the fight against galamsey to shift away from empty promises and toward solutions anchored in communities themselves.

FixTheCountry alleged that some traditional rulers are not only aware of the practice but actively involved. 

“Mr President, our investigations show that many chiefs are directly involved in galamsey. Even roadside traders, the Ksi-PZ-style informants, tip off galamseyers whenever the military is on the way to their sites,” the post read.

The movement insisted that chiefs should no longer be left on the sidelines but made central to the state’s enforcement strategy. 

According to its proposal, chiefs would be required to recruit young men and women within their areas to form a round-the-clock guard system, working in collaboration with the security services and the government’s Blue Guard fighters.

“The solution? Use them to fix it. Task the chiefs to recruit the youth in their communities into a 24-hour shift system to guard against galamsey,” the statement added.

FixTheCountry further suggested that both chiefs and the young people enlisted should be placed on at least the national minimum wage. 

In its view, such an arrangement would both create jobs and secure Ghana’s natural endowments.

“Pay these chiefs and youth a minimum wage, and they will protect the land, the water, and their own future. This way, we create jobs, fight galamsey, and free Ghana’s water bodies and natural resources,” the post concluded.