Winning the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, will remain a major challenge as long as unemployment levels in the country continue to rise, a senior member of the United Party (UP), Mr. Henry Asante, has cautioned.
Speaking on Angel Morning Show, Tuesday, November 4, 2025, on the recent attack on Naimos officials at Hwidiem, he questioned the effectiveness of curbing galamsey if unemployment remains unaddressed.
“There have been proposals on how to curb it, but the end result after curbing it, have you considered unemployment?” he questioned.
He urged the government to consider the welfare of those engaged in illegal mining activities while intensifying the fight against the menace.
“We must think about the people in the industry. If care is not taken, it would be worse than first,” he added.
Referring to a biblical saying to support his suggestion, Mr. Asante indicated that “the devil finds work for the idle hand.”
According to him, it would be extremely difficult for the people to quit mining, because of their value for quick money and mining money, arguing that there is no lucrative job that would be available to convince them for survival.
Contributor: Opare Christabel
