ACCRA, Sept 25 (The African Portal) – The Executive Secretary of Ghana’s National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Dr Adams Bonaa, has warned that the fight against illegal mining in the country is becoming increasingly difficult due to the proliferation of firearms in Ghana.
According to him, many illegal miners and criminal groups are heavily armed, making it harder for security agencies to confront them.
“I’m saying it’s becoming difficult to fight because people have weapons, and without the weapons it would have been easy to fight galamsey,” he explained, citing a recent hijacking on the Accra–Kumasi highway as evidence of the growing threat.
Dr Bonaa’s comments follows many calls by Ghanaians on their government to end illegal mining in the country, which continues to threaten national security and the environment.
He stressed that the government, with the support of Interior Minister Mutaka Mubarak, is committed to addressing the situation.
“Fortunately, the President is 100% in support of what we are doing. My minister, Mutaka Mubarak, who is a proud son of this soil, is also fully behind us, providing resources to ensure that if we can fight gun violence and racketeering in the Ashanti Region, fighting it nationwide will be easier,” he said.
According to Dr Bonaa, firearms-related incidents rose by more than 100 percent between the first and second quarters of this year. He noted that the problem is not new, but one the government inherited.
“For a very long time, not much was done to mop up stockpiles of weapons that are in the hands of the wrong people,” he added.
He expressed the hope that tackling gun proliferation would make the fight against illegal mining and other security threats more effective.
