A Nation on the Brink: ‘Na Who Cause am’? Part I

A topical issue like galamsey cannot pass unnoticed by Afenyo-Markin’s ‘brother from another mother’. A lot has been said by those who matter in society in respect of the devastating consequences of this menace and some proposals like using the military to ‘crush’ galamsey have been put forward by some masters of society.

The son of the upright peasant farmer, who identifies himself as a servant of society, will attempt to venture into an area that has largely been overlooked by the masters of society; thus, who sowed the seeds of galamsey?

In the Medical field, the root cause of a disease will first and foremost ought to be established, before proper treatment can be administered. Malaria still persist in most parts of Africa because, the real cause of the disease, thus the anopheles mosquito, hasn’t been totally eliminated or rendered ‘impotent’ as is the case elsewhere.

Without tackling a nuisance from the source, guess solutions are usually the norm which can lead to unprecedented consequences. This is exactly what a majority of motorists who cannot afford the services of recognized dealerships like authorised manufacturers representatives for routine maintenance face, when they visit the quack roadside mechanics.
In most instances, a motorist drives his vehicle with a minor mechanical malfunction to these quack roadside mechanics, and end up towing their vehicle away, due to improper diagnoses of the fault, which subsequently exacerbates the problem.

Another problem that is being given cosmetic treatment like the ‘surface’ solutions being currently proposed to end galamsey, is the management of sewage.
In Winneba, where I currently reside, it is common to see some workers clearing the gutters of sand and other unwelcome materials and placing the removed garbage by the side of the gutter. Whether this garbage is carted away or not, doesn’t solve the problem. The solution lies in completely stopping the garbage from getting into the gutters in the first place, like is the case in Europe and the USA.

Taking a cue from the above few instances, it is crystal clear that declaring a state of emergency or simply deploying the military to tackle galamsey, will end up like the case of our malaria shambolic treatment. That is, an additional burden on the public purse by way of keeping the service men and women at galamsey hot spots for long periods, with the likelihood of some of these soldiers ending up cutting deals with the nation wreckers (galamseyers), and subsequently making a u-turn to provide them with security to finish the nation off with the silver bullet!

There is also the possibility of the galamseyers arming themselves to take on the military, and this will most likely lead to something else that no reasonable person should hope for.

A renowned Professor advised me in the recent past to try as much as possible and keep my write-ups short, otherwise most people will not read them. On that note, I will pause here while the factors that gave birth to galamsey loads.
Part II loading………

This write-up is dedicated to Akosua Owusua Acheampong, a level 400 Procurement & Supply Chain Management student of the University of Education, Winneba, who passed away after a short illness on Tuesday, 26th August, 2025, and at whose funeral held on Saturday, 20th September, 2025, the idea of writing this article was conceived. She will forever remain the daughter of Mr. Joseph Kwabena Acheampong, a staff of the Bank of Ghana.

Alhassan Salifu Bawah
(son of an upright peasant farmer)