Edward Kareweh, the former General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), has raised serious concerns about the long-term environmental and food security impacts of illegal mining, known as galamsey, in Ghana.
His remarks came after Dr. Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, announced an immediate ban on grain exports due to a severe dry spell affecting northern Ghana.
The ban aims to ensure adequate grain supply in the domestic market.
In an interview on Eyewitness News on Monday, August 26, 2024, Kareweh criticized the government’s approach to food security.
While he acknowledged the need for short-term measures like the export ban, he stressed that these actions are inadequate without addressing the root causes of environmental degradation.
Kareweh highlighted the urgent need for long-term strategies to tackle environmental damage and promote sustainable agriculture, warning that the ongoing destruction from galamsey could exacerbate the current drought’s impact.
“We are even fortunate today that this drought only occurred in the northern part of the country. If it had come to the southern part of the country, it would have been more serious than it is now because we have destroyed the entire southern part of this country with galamsey So, much as we are putting in measures to deal with this disaster and also to guarantee that there is food in the country by banning the exportation of foodstuff and so on, these are temporary measures. The long term measures, we are not addressing them well.
“We also have our own version of climate change and our version is galamsey which is more devastating than the climate change that we know.
Because that one is permanent; the lands are destroyed permanently, the forests are destroyed and the rivers are polluted all over.
They are more permanent destruction so they are more dangerous than climate change,” he stated.
