Some five Burkina Faso Nationals have been sentenced to 20 years in prison each for engaging in illegal mining.
The convicts were found guilty of violating Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act and Section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act, as amended.
They were arrested on March 23 at a galamsey site in Maase in the Upper West region.
A search at the site led to the recovery of three water-pumping machines and other mining implements.
They admitted to mining without a licence and were convicted on two counts, conspiracy to commit crime and mining without a licence.
A principal state attorney, Saeed Abdul Shakur, stressed that the court’s decision sends a strong message to individuals who may want to engage in such illegal practices.
“The police conducted a swoop at the black Volta close to Jamboso and arrested 5 persons, all of them were Burkinabé nationals and they were mining close to the bank of the river. They were arrested, arraigned before the circuit court, and remanded in police custody.
“They decided to plead guilty so all the five pleaded guilty and asked the court to be lenient with them, so the court was lenient by sentencing them to 20 years imprisonment on both counts.
“In the mining act, the minimum you can give any foreigner doing illegal mining in Ghana is 20 years. They were caught actually in the act, they were inside the pit when they were arrested. Eventually, they couldn’t do anything,” he explained.
Illegal mining, popularly referred to as galamsey, has been a major issue in Ghana, with recent reports indicating that the practice has led to the destruction of several rivers, including River Ankobra, River Bia, River Pra, and River Tano.
Successive governments have taken several steps to eradicate illegal mining, but the problem persists due to the high demand for gold and other precious minerals.
There is currently a ban on illegal mining, the move is expected to control the level at which illegal miners are destroying water bodies, arable lands, and forest reserves.
In March 2023, the Lands Ministry revealed that the Minerals Commission is to install tracking devices on 4,000 excavators and earthmoving equipment as part of measures to clamp down on galamsey.
Also, about 300 river wardens completed a 4-week intensive pre-deployment training course at the Eastern Naval Command in Tema on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, to prepare them to provide security to the country’s various river bodies.
Over 20 Chinese Nationals are currently facing prosecution in the various courts in the country.
In October 2022, President Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated his resolve to fight the canker, but the issue persists.