Speaking before the Central Regional House of Chiefs, President Akufo-Addo said involvement in illegal mining would not be tolerated under his administration. On the other hand, the campaign against it would be successful with the chief’s support.

“With all due respect, I know some of you [chiefs] are behind the galamsey activities in Ghana. If I came here and didn’t speak the truth, then my coming here would have been in vain.”

“I will not sit and watch and let some people destroy the environment – no way.  I will not. For the sake of our future and generations yet unborn, please stop it. We can’t let this activity continue. Whatever government will do to ensure that this illegal mining ends, we will do,” the President avowed.

He said the fact that because the “work of a few people done for money, the land and water bodies would be destroyed” really disturbs him.

Government’s next step in the illegal mining fight, after banning small scale mining for a period, was to deploy an anti-illegal mining task force to some galamsey prone areas.

A joint military and police of about 400 personnel was deployed to the Ashanti, Eastern and Western Regions for the first phase of the military involvement in the fight against illegal mining.

The deployment of this task-force, code named, “Operation Vanguard” is to clamp down on the illegal mining activities which have devastated the Ghana’s land and water resources.

The government intends to use this approach for at least a year.

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

The post Stop supporting galamsey – Nana Addo to chiefs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking in Obomeng Kwahu, Eastern Region on Saturday, the President asserted that, the law which criminalizes illegal mining will be enforced irrespective of any nationality.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Fr0j1vmzrSMt2Ngo1bCU6AaSJvME60ey”]”We all know the laws of Ghana have no sympathy for nationality whatsoever. The law affects everybody including the Chinese. It does not give permits to visitors or anybody to engage in illegal mining. Whosoever is caught will be made to full rigour of the law.”

“This doesn’t mean we have any qualms with the Chinese government or we hate the Chinese nationals. All I am saying is they should respect the laws of our land just as they do theirs,” President Akufo-Addo added.

The President was responding to a plea from Obomenghene Nana Effah Opinamang III, who requested that the President takes stringent measures to deal with the galamsey menace.

He assured that his remarks on the fight against illegal mining were not empty promises as his administration was going to deal with galamsey “once and for all in the history of our country.”

“I will be meeting with my sector minister to discuss extensively on this galamsey issues and hopefully in the next coming days you will all see the changes.”

China upset

The Chinese mission in Ghana has already expressed anger at the manner in which Ghana is dealing with the issue of illegal mining. They’ve criticized the media for targeting Chinese nationals in their reportage.

The mission, in a letter, addressed the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, said bilateral relations between Ghana and China would be affected if it still felt like it was being targeted by anti-galamsey campaigns.

The Chinese mission’s concerns came as civil society groups and the media have escalated campaigns against illegal mining, which is known to have a high volume of Chinese nationals engaged in it.

Citi FM is championing a #StopGalamseyNow campaign which is rallying various stakeholders to address the menace, which has left devastating effects on farmlands and water bodies.

Evidence from media reports and CSOs, including police arrests, confirms the high involvement of Chinese in the activities, but China, has urged government must minimize the mass arrest of illegal miners and deal with culprits on an individual basis.

According to China,  Chinese illegal miners were also victims of fraud and blackmail and needed some kind of special attention before any definite actions are taken.

Nana Addo on Fulani

On the issue of Fulani herdsmen, President Nana Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that his government is working on policies to guide cattle ranching in the country.

He said, “very soon the issue and problems associated with Fulani will be a thing of the past, we are soon coming out with policies which will go through parliament for approval to streamline the activities of these Fulani herdsmen in the country”

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By: Neil Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Respect our laws – Nana Addo to Chinese galamsey operators appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Much like the station, IDEG is advocating for comprehensive measures in dealing with the illegal mining menace which has ravaged the environment.

IDEG joins a number of other civil society groups like the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), IMANI Africa and Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) in declaring public support for the campaign and raising awareness of the urgency of the situation.

Dubbed #StopGalamseyNow, the campaign charges the government to undertake five steps to clamp down on the menace which is destroying the county’s land and water bodies at an alarming rate.

Citi FM’s five 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: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post IDEG stands with #StopGalamseyNow campaign appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.