Question

1. A prominent person in Ghana, has called for the decentralization of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). He said, the fight against illegal mining also known as ‘galamsey’ is not yielding the expected results due to the absence of key stakeholders such as the District Chief Executives and Assembly Members. He stated that making the DCEs and Assembly Members mere implementers of strategies from the IMCIM rather than partakers in formulating the strategies defeats the purpose for which the IMCIM was established.

1. Explain the process through which the fight against galamsey got into the political agenda (indicate sources of information) .

2. With reference to the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), explain five waysby which the inclusion of key stakeholders in the district assembly in the IMCIM can help with the fight against Galamsey.

Answer 1

1) Galamsey is the term for illegal mining. Many business people have involved themselves in illegal mining to earn more through corruption and illegal means. It is a process prevalent in Ghana. The political parties have made the agenda to eliminate the practice from the country. The practice attracts all the parties' attention because almost every businessman tends to enter into this industry. The specific reasons are that this industry provides black money in a considerable amount without much effort. The political parties should stop the practice to increase their vote back. It is because illegal activities will attract opposition and criticism from the domestic country and foreign countries. Hence, eliminating it has become a part of all the parties' political agenda.

2) The Local Governance Act, 2016, in the country mentions the importance of including the residents and stakeholders in the District Assembly. The first benefit of the inclusion is effective decentralization. The residents will help the commission to spread the awareness in their localities. It will fulfill the purpose of establishing an assembly. The second benefit is economic growth. The local communities will also contribute to the economic growth by establishing their businesses in the locality. The third benefit is less burden on the authorities. Due to the process of decentralization, the local people will step up to take responsibility. It will decrease the burden. The fourth benefit is fast implementation. It is because the local people will tend to implement it if they get incentives or profits. The last benefit is the elimination of illegal mining on the ground level. Hence, it will eliminate the process of calamity from the roots.