Government is formulating a policy to curb illegal mining also known as galamsey, which is gradually having debilitating effects on the country.
This revelation was made by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during his tour in the Ashanti Region over the weekend.
Responding to questions from the media during his tour, the President explained that, the policy document “is going to be with the objective of dealing with this phenomenon, once and for all.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”LL6vWC1bcbodY7K7vIkDZDOnUyDO45tZ”]My simple answer is that, all of us agree that it’s a major menace to the future of our country; but there is some complexity. You see how widespread it is, the forces and interests involved in the whole galamsey tsunami.”
“I don’t think we are going to be able to deal with the effects of it by piecemeal methods; we need a comprehensive policy which may even involve legislation to deal with it. And that is what my government is working on right now. Sooner rather than later, that policy will be outdoored and you will have an opportunity to examine its effectiveness,” Akufo-Addo added.
Galamsey menace
The President’s assurance comes on the back of intense pressure on government to deal with the galamsey menace.
Currently, some water treatment plants have been shut down over activities of illegal miners, which have rendered water bodies from which the plants harvest water for processing useless.
Watchers of the sector have further lamented that if such activities are not stopped, Ghana may soon be importing water from neighboring countries.
The galamsey menace has also led to the destruction of many farmlands, which serve as livelihood for a number of families.
Citi FM launches #StopGalamseyNow campaign
Citi FM on Monday launched a campaign against galamsey in the country.
Dubbed #StopGalamseyNow, the campaign makes five clear demands of government to clamp down on the menace which is destroying the county’s land and water resources, and may see Ghana resorting to the importation of clean water in the next two decades.
The demands include:
- The total cessation of all small and medium scale mining for a period of six months
- The cessation of the issuance of new mining licences for a year
- The reclassification of mining categories to reflect the use of new/larger equipment
- The allowance of water bodies to regenerate their natural ecology
- Tree planting and a land reclamation project
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin