Tarkwa: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Tarkwa has called on traditional leaders to play a more active role in the fight against illegal mining, urging them to leverage their cultural and spiritual authority to help protect Ghana's forests and water bodies.
According to Ghana Web, ongoing enforcement efforts against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, are increasingly being challenged by heavily fortified and emboldened operators who often pose serious security risks to state officials. In a citinewsroom.com report on June 19, 2026, the Regional Director of the EPA in Tarkwa, Mr. Derick Ashia Logo, said some illegal miners have become so defiant that enforcement officers risk their lives during monitoring and inspection exercises.
"We have come to realise that as we do our enforcement and monitoring, when we speak to these galamsey operators, they are not prepared to stop what they are doing. They are so emboldened that they have ammunition on site, and if you are not well prepared, you can lose your life," he stated.
Logo stressed that chiefs, as custodians of the land, have an important role to play in safeguarding natural resources within their traditional areas. He suggested that traditional authorities could invoke cultural beliefs, taboos, and customary sanctions to discourage people from engaging in illegal mining activities.
"We believe that the chiefs who are custodians of the lands in these communities have the power to invoke the spirits in water bodies and forests. They should call their people together and make it clear that anyone who enters these areas to mine without the appropriate permits is acting against the community's values and traditions," he said.
According to him, such measures could serve as a powerful deterrent and complement government efforts to address the environmental destruction caused by galamsey activities. Mr. Logo also called on the government to provide financial support for community-based environmental protection initiatives, arguing that traditional authorities require adequate resources to effectively monitor and protect natural assets.
In addition, he proposed stricter accountability measures for traditional leaders who fail to safeguard forests and water bodies under their jurisdiction. "The government should consider policies that hold traditional leaders accountable where natural resources are continually destroyed under their watch. Such measures would encourage greater commitment to protecting our environment," he added.
The EPA maintains that illegal mining remains one of Ghana's most pressing environmental challenges, contributing to the destruction of river bodies, forest reserves, and farmlands, while also creating security concerns for enforcement agencies carrying out anti-galamsey operations.