The Swiss chocolatier saga which has direct links to Ghana is a wake-up call on the government to decisively and aggressively fight the menace of illegal mining widely known as galamsey; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana Anthony Morrison has said.
Ghana’s cocoa sector faces a threat of sanctions since embattled Lindt – the Swiss Chocolatier outsources a significant portion of its cocoa beans from the second-largest producer of cocoa in the world. Reports have revealed that the luxurious chocolate of Lindt contains harmful heavy metals, including lead and cadmium. The discovery prompted a class-action lawsuit as consumers questioned the veracity of Lindt’s claims of “expertly crafted” chocolate made with “finest ingredients.”
With the saga having a direct link to Ghana’s cocoa sector, the CEO of the Chamber fears that the country might face sanctions from world food safety organizations such as the European Union, World Health Organization, and World Food Programme among others.
In an exclusive interview with The High Street Journal, Mr. Morrison strongly emphasized that it is time the country, on the back of this saga, urgently addresses the menace of illegal mining which continues to wreak havoc on the country’s natural resources, including its cocoa farms.
“There is nothing we can do now except to stop galamsey. We stop any kind of galamsey, any kind of small-scale mining, then make sure that we put in the right regulatory mechanisms that will stop miscreants from actually destroying cocoa forests, destroying forest belts, and also contaminating our freshwater bodies,” he noted.
Justifying the urgent need for immediate and drastic actions, he explains that the cocoa sector employs over a million Ghanaians directly and indirectly, contributing significantly to livelihoods and the national economy. Yet galamsey, which involves fewer than 1% of those in agriculture, has emerged as a disproportionately destructive force.
Illegal mining not only devastates cocoa farmlands but also contaminates soil and water sources with toxic substances like mercury and arsenic, which have now been traced to chocolate products.
He said, “The people in Galamsey activities are less than 1% of the people in agriculture. There are about 60,000 people involved in galamsey, directly and indirectly. There are 11 to 30 million people involved in agriculture. And that is where the discussion must be heading.”
With the threat of illegal mining tarnishing Ghana’s reputation in the global market, and as it could potentially attract sanctions and lead to reduced demand for its cocoa, Mr. Morrison is calling on the government to prioritize the national interest over the political interest.
He therefore maintained that, “I feel like as early as we are able to stop the galamsey, the better for us. The presidency must see the lives of people who are being affected both health-wise and financially rather than the government putting their mind on political fortunes.”
