President John Dramani Mahama has expressed deep concern about the growing involvement of young people, including senior high school students, in illegal mining, warning that enforcement alone cannot solve the galamsey crisis.
He said the government was therefore pursuing a dual strategy of law enforcement and alternative livelihoods, with the proposed $10 billion New Economy Policy at the centre of efforts to wean the youth off illegal mining.
The President made the remarks when he hosted the Western North Regional House of Chiefs at the Jubilee House in Accra last Tuesday afternoon.
The delegation was led by the President of the Western North Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.
The chiefs were welcomed to the Jubilee House by the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.
The Western North Regional Minister, Wilbert Petty Brentum, who introduced the delegation to the President, expressed appreciation to the chiefs for their collaboration in steering the affairs of the region.
Galamsey and the youth
“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,” President Mahama said.
Members of the Western North Regional House of Chiefs at the Jubilee House
He stated that the government was pursuing the young people involved in the illegal trade, and that several had been arrested.
“At the last count, hundreds were awaiting trial, and many were on bail but still awaiting trial. 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.
Alternative livelihoods
The President, however, said the more fundamental question was what alternatives existed for the youth.
“Alongside enforcing the law against illegal mining, we must provide alternative livelihoods.
That is why we are implementing the New Economy Policy,” he said.
President Mahama also appealed to the chiefs for support, saying they lived in the communities with the people and were best placed to help.
“Sometimes the National Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Illegal Mining is doing a good job, but in some communities, the youth, traditional authorities and others fight back against the task force.
“There have been a few incidents in which soldiers have had to discharge firearms, resulting in deaths.
We want to avoid that.
We, therefore, need the collaboration of our chiefs to help fight illegal mining, especially in forest reserves and water bodies,” President Mahama entreated the traditional rulers.
On enforcement, the President said that the Minister of Finance had provided another GH¢400 million in next year’s budget to employ more Blue Water Guards to patrol the water bodies.
“They have been instructed to destroy changfang machines whenever they encounter them,” he said.
Economy
President Mahama also used the occasion to give a comprehensive account of the state of the economy and his government’s development agenda, saying his administration took over the reins of power on January 7, 2025, and faced a very difficult situation occasioned by the debt default and the economic crisis that began in 2022.
He said it became necessary to take austere measures to bring things under control, and those measures had yielded fruit.
“Ghana’s economy is doing well. Just yesterday, the IMF predicted that we would grow at 5.7 per cent,” he said.
“The average growth predicted for sub-Saharan Africa is just about four per cent, and so it shows that we are still seeing strong growth,” he added.
Last year, the economy grew by about six per cent, but for the tensions between Iran and Israel and the increase in the cost of petroleum products, President Mahama expressed optimism that the country would have grown above seven per cent this year.
He expressed hope that things would calm down and the economy would continue to improve.
Jobs
Already, President Mahama said jobs were being created, especially in the construction industry.
He recounted how a contractor complained that an experienced excavator operator did not report for work, only to discover that he had taken a new job.
He said young civil engineers from the University of Science and Technology, both males and females, as well as young masons and steel benders, were now working on road and building construction sites.
The construction industry alone had created hundreds of thousands of jobs because of the Big Push and the money the government was putting into infrastructure.
President Mahama also cited a textile manufacturing company in the north, established by a Ghanaian entrepreneur with assistance from Ghana Exim Bank, which produces T-shirts, polo shirts and garments for export to the United States and European markets.
The factory, he said, was employing 2,300 people, with 80 per cent of them being women, and runs for 24 hours through shifts.
He also mentioned Nestlé and Kasapreko, which had expanded their production lines and were running 24 hours.
Western North projects
President Mahama said roads in the Western North Region, including Enchi-Elubo and Dadieso-Akontombra, had been placed under the Big Push programme after the Cocoa Roads programme encountered difficulties.
He said Phase Two of the Big Push would include other roads, while a feeder roads programme would cover Fosukrom Junction to Fosukrom, Aferoa Junction to Kofibrafo, Fuuta Junction to Fuuta and Aboboya Junction to Aboboya.
Contractors should be on site by the beginning of next year, the President assured the Western North chiefs.
Also, procurements for the Western North Regional Hospital had been completed and the site handed over to the contractor.
President Mahama said the region would also benefit from an airstrip, a regional stadium and increased participation of chiefs in local governance.
The President said the government and the chieftaincy institution were partners in development and that chiefs would have representatives on district assemblies.
Chiefs hail President
Speaking on behalf of the chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi said the President had demonstrated his respect for the chieftaincy institution and its role in national development.
“We have come here not just as custodians of culture, heritage and tradition but also as partners of development.
The relationship between traditional authorities and the government is essential in maintaining peace,” he said.
The President of the National House of Chiefs said the chiefs expressed their commitment to peace and development of the nation.
Ogyeahoho Gyebi commended the President for leading the United Nations General Assembly to pass the March 2026 resolution that recognised the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
“That single act strengthens Ghana’s image and leadership role as the Black Star of Africa, so we thank you,” he said.
He commended the government for the stability in the economy, but expressed concern that unemployment remained a challenge and encouraged the government to roll out the 24-Hour Economy policy in a more holistic way to create the jobs needed for the youth.
On developmental projects, he commended the government for undertaking road projects across the region as well as other GETFund projects.
