The Executive Director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Nana Afadzinu (PhD), has raised alarm over the extensive destruction of Ghana’s natural resources due to illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Speaking at the official launch of WACSI’s 20th Anniversary in Accra on Wednesday, April 2, she expressed deep concern about the country’s over-reliance on international aid, despite its abundant resources.
According to Afadzinu, Ghana could achieve self-sufficiency and independence if its resources were managed properly, noting that poor governance has led to the misuse and destruction of these valuable assets.
She further emphasized that Ghana’s dependence on international aid, including funding from organizations like USAID, was an issue that needed to be addressed.
Afadzinu stressed that Africa needs to take charge of its resources and manage them effectively, highlighting the loss of resources due to illicit financial flows, corruption, and harmful practices like galamsey.
She warned that such issues are eroding the continent’s wealth and making it vulnerable to external control, as Western countries could decide to cut off funding at any time.
She said, “…..To talk, for example, use this opportunity to speak about the galamsey issue and to look at how we are destroying our resources as Ghanaians from galamsey. If we were doing our mining correctly, under regulations, we were stopping galamsey and preventing the forest erosion and the destruction of our water bodies and everything. Can we imagine if we were managing our resources correctly and we had government who were investing those resources into our development, what Ghana would be? We would not be taking, Ghana was taking over 160 million from USAID. Why do we need that kind of funding from USAID? There are governments that have over five million dependents on USAID, over 70% of their GDP…..”
She added, “But what I want to say is that as Africans, and I’m using this opportunity to speak to the issue, we need to take charge of our resources and manage our resources. The amount of resources that we are losing from illicit financial flows, from corruption, from some of the destructive practices like galamsey, is taking away everything that we have so that we have to fall on these European Western countries who can decide to pull the plug anytime.”
WACSI’s 20th-anniversary celebration marks a significant milestone in the organization’s efforts to promote sustainable development and civic engagement in West Africa.
The launch event kicked off a year-long commemoration, bringing together key stakeholders, partners, and thought leaders to reflect on the past and strategize for the future.
