Omanghana
Former Director-General of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Nana Attobrah Quaicoe, has questioned the effectiveness of state-sponsored alternative livelihood programs in tackling illegal mining, arguing that their financial rewards cannot compete with the returns from galamsey.
In an opinion piece, Quaicoe argued that policies built around moving illegal miners into other occupations overlook the powerful economic incentives sustaining the activity.
His argument challenges the assumption that providing alternative employment will, on its own, persuade people to abandon illegal gold mining. He maintained that the income available through such programs falls short of what participants can earn from galamsey.
Quaicoe also criticized the focus of enforcement efforts, arguing that they disproportionately target low-level diggers while leaving the influential networks behind illegal mining largely untouched.
He identified elite financiers, suppliers and colluding officials as central actors in sustaining the enterprise. In his assessment, concentrating on those working at mining sites fails to address the financial backing and protection that enable operations to continue.
The essay makes the case for a shift in anti-galamsey policy towards the structures supporting the trade, rather than relying primarily on arrests of diggers and alternative livelihood schemes.
Quaicoe’s position places the profitability of illegal mining and the accountability of its powerful backers at the Centre of the debate over how to curb the activity.
Source: Omanghana
