Speaking on Point Blank, Dr. Spio-Garbrah asserted that law enforcement agencies must put their foot down in the fight against the menace which is ravaging water bodies and farmlands all over the country.

“It is a law enforcement matter because, in many countries, you just won’t be able to do that [mine illegally]. So the law enforcement must put their foot down. These guys can’t be shooting at the Ghana Armed Forces. We are not fighting any war as a country… I believe that the Ghana armed forces, working alongside the police, have a very critical role to play in this matter,” he explained.

In the former Minister’s view, there is a policy problem with respect to managing small scale mining and fighting illegal mining in Ghana.

Speaking as a former board member of AngloGold Ashanti, he highlighted the scale of the epidemic, noting that “it will amaze many Ghanaians to learn that currently, there are as many as 8,000 to 10,000 illegal miners on AngloGold’s concession alone.”

“They are operating underground and they are very sophisticated. They have teams, they have all kinds of expertise and they use some of the old workers to guide them in tunnels that they ought not to know much about,” he added.

Citi FM’s #StopGalamseyNow campaign

Dr. Spio-Garbrah thoughts on illegal mining followed the launching of Citi FM’s #StopGalamseyNow campaign aimed at raising awareness of the urgency of the illegal mining situation and its consequences in Ghana.

The campaign makes five demands of government:

• 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: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Army, Police must take over galamsey fight – Spio-Garbrah appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Though the Minister admits the 23 priority products will face competition from imported ones, he is confident an appeal to Ghanaians will increase patronage.

“All the products that we have will definitely have imported ones as substitutes. But the Made In Ghana policy is primarily about persuasion, encouragement and an appeal to our national pride and sense of patriotism,” he stressed.

A Consultant to the Governor, Franklyn Belnye had suggested that banning the importation of some goods as a remedy to solve the country’s forex exchange challenges may not suffice as a pragmatic solution.

According to him, Ghana risks similar reactions from other countries if such policies are not carefully applied.

But reacting to this, Dr. Spio Garbrah opined that government would not consider banning any of the imported substitutes for Ghana’s top priority products in its campaign.

“None of the imported products for the priority commodities are being banned; we are just asking Ghanaians to consume their own.”

Government has since 2013, intensified its campaign to increase patronage of locally manufactured goods in a bid to increase production and reduce imports.

A new policy on the Made in Ghana campaign has been completed as part of efforts to push the agenda for the Made in Ghana campaign.

Speaking at the launch of the new policy, Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah was highly optimistic Ghanaians will ultimately share in the idea for government to achieve its set targets.

“America decided to flood Japanese markets with their rice but the Japanese never banned them rather expressed their disapproval by not patronizing the products from the US. I believe Ghana too can follow suit with the path that we are taking as a Ministry and campaign committee,” he observed.

Top priority areas

The top priority areas for the made in Ghana campaign are; poultry products, textile and garments, cement, roofing sheets, furniture, pharmaceutical, printing, steel products, processed foods, sugar, vegetable oil and fruit juice.

Other are; rice, biscuits, paint, shoes, flour, electric cables and related products, ceiling materials, tilapia, plywood and lumber, tomatoes and cosmetic products.

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

The post Spio-Garbrah persuades Ghanaians over Made in Ghana campaign appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.