Security Consultant, Richard Kumadoe, has argued that Ghana lacks a proper structure to effectively combat illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, despite having the necessary security resources.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, August 16, 2025, Mr. Kumadoe said the fight against galamsey continues to falter because political and business interests overshadow the national security dimension of the issue.

“I do not think we are really structured in the fight to win the war against the persons involved in galamsey,” he stated.

He explained that while the country has a fully equipped army, national security operatives, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and the police with specialised units, political interference has undermined enforcement.

According to him, if politics were removed from the equation, security agencies would be able to deal decisively with illegal mining.

Recalling his last conversation with the late Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Mr. Kumadoe noted that progress had been made in retrieving some forest reserves from illegal miners.

However, he stressed that the lack of a well-structured and sustained approach has stalled such gains.

“If we had a structure that helps us to retrieve the forest, which was predominantly occupied by galamseyers, and pursued it consistently, it would have helped us largely in many of the areas where we have galamsey going on,” he said.

He further warned that unless Ghana establishes a comprehensive and structured system to tackle galamsey, the country risks more tragedies such as the August 6 incident.