The Executive Director of EcoConscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has raised concerns about the operational capacity of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), questioning whether it has the necessary equipment and logistical support to effectively combat illegal mining.
She believes the resources available to the anti-galamsey task force are inadequate to match the scale of illegal mining activities across the country.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, she questioned whether NAIMOS, the Forestry Commission and other stakeholders in the fight against galamsey on the ground had access to essential protective equipment, including bulletproof vests, particularly when some illegal miners were reportedly armed and equipped with similar protective gear.
She also raised concerns about the logistical capacity of these task forces, questioning whether their personnel had the necessary resources to sustain operations in areas affected by illegal mining.
“It is difficult to understand that two years into the administration, the situation does not appear to be improving. And I would also say that if we want to avert the catastrophe, we need to better equip our duty bearers. If you look at the Forestry Commission, for instance, the forestry guards who are supposed to be protecting our forests do not even have bulletproof vests; two of them have been shot, and I believe one of them is dead”
“And then we look at NAIMOS, do they have the resources they need to do the work they are mandated to do? Do they have speedboats? How do they pursue those on our water bodies?”
“The situation is dire,” she added.
Despite these concerns, Ms Serwah acknowledged the efforts of NAIMOS, saying she believed its personnel had done their best under the circumstances.
“NAIMOS is doing a very good job with the limited resources they have. But you have to look at the scale of the problem,” she noted.
She maintained that strengthening the task force’s operational capacity would be critical to improving the fight against galamsey.
