In 2017, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources purchased drones for surveillance to fight against illegal mining, also known as galamsey, in Ghana.
According to reports, the Ministry purchased the drones for an amount of $3 million.
Details
The drones were part of the government’s grand strategy to effectively clamp down on illegal miners whose activities have devastated the country’s land and water resources.
The Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources John Peter Amewu stated the specification of the drone merited the cost, saying the drones had special features that would greatly boost the anti-galamsey efforts.
“These drones are non-visible when they are up in the air. They are sound-free and they can zoom down to about five meters even at a height of about 3,000 kilometres. It can go to as far as about 27,000 feet above sea level. It can do a lot of things and it’s very complex,” he stated.
However, the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, stated the price tag was erroneous and that drones were purchased for less than $500,000.
In all, 200 drones and other accessories were purchased.
“Out Of Service”
According to a tweet by Bright Simons, all of the Ministry’s drone fleets might be out of service. Additionally, the software for automation of the license was reportedly abandoned before launch.
It is my bounden duty to remind the house that not only are all the drones out of service, but even the software to automate licensing was also abandoned before launch. 🙇🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/3vNJ0DP2hG
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) September 15, 2023
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