The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has identified entrenched corruption and political miscalculations as major barriers to Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Addressing participants at the Global Mining Summit in Accra on Monday, the revered monarch expressed deep concern over the continued degradation of the country’s natural environment, warning that illegal mining poses a serious threat to Ghana’s ecological and economic sustainability.

“The pollution of our water bodies, the destruction of our forests, and the degradation of virgin lands cannot be allowed to continue unchecked,” Otumfuo stated.

“It cannot be denied that the cocktail of regulatory failures, political miscalculations, and corruption has combined to make the curbing of this menace more challenging.”

He criticised the inefficacy of repeated government interventions, noting that well-intentioned measures have been consistently undermined by systemic failures and weak enforcement.

Calling for a renewed approach, the Asantehene urged stakeholders to engage in honest, evidence-based policy reviews and to pursue firm regulatory enforcement to combat the galamsey crisis.

“We have the opportunity to calmly dissect the policy options and tools available to deal with the problem,” he advised.

Despite the grim outlook on illegal mining, Otumfuo commended the government for introducing innovative policies in the mining sector.

He singled out the Gold for Oil (Gold4Oil) programme as a positive step, praising its potential to stabilise the industry and promote sustainable development.

He also welcomed the recent establishment of Goldbod, a new mining entity, describing it as a timely and creative initiative with the capacity to boost investor confidence and production yields.

“The emergence of the new Goldbod is a creative initiative we need for the rise of the industry, increasing the prospect for more investment and higher yields,” he said.

“It injects a new urgency to the challenges we are trying to address.”

The Asantehene’s remarks have sparked renewed calls for a holistic and nonpartisan approach to ending illegal mining in Ghana.