Adults discuss the real issues that threaten to derail their relationships. If they live closely together and an important fence that serves them both breaks down, they try to find realistic ways of repairing the damage. They – like children – offer to share their sweets.

The majority of the reports that I have read about the outcome of the talks between Vice-President Muhammadu Bawumia’s delegation and the Chinese Government ignored the elephant that must have been present in th room: “galamsey”.

On the other hand, a lot is made of what has been described as a “jackpot” of “$2 billion” that China has promised to Ghana to finance industries. The total possible financial outlays China has outlined, add up to a grand total of “$15 billion.”

Which is absolutely fantastic. But the very size of these loans and investments has created a fear on social media that the Chinese are out to dazzle Ghana with figures.

The only time galamsey has so far been mentioned was in a report by CitiFM. This said:

China supports our galamsey fight – Bawumia
“Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has downplayed possible concerns [that] the support Ghana is getting from China could compromise efforts against illegal mining, [in] which Chinese nationals are known to be heavily engaged. .

“According to him, China is happy with Ghana’s clamp- down on illegal mining, which has seen a significant number of Chinese nationals in Ghana arrested. Dr. Bawumia was addressing the press after arriving from a four-day official visit to China, where Ghana, among other things, secured a funding facility worth up to $2 billion between a number of Ghanaian banks and the private sector, led by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).

“[The Vice-President stated that] the issue of galamsey is not a China matter. The issue is a galamsey (sic) matter and we deal with anybody who is involved in galamsey per our laws, and the Chinese are very happy with us enforcing our laws….They [the Chinese] won’t tell us how to enforce our laws, as we can’t tell them how to enforce their laws, and I think the fight against galamsey is no respecter of persons. …Regardless of where you come from… you are going to be dealt with, the same.

[Dr Bawumia] added that the Chinese “are very supportive of us dealing with the galamsey issue, as per our laws and our laws are doing a wonderful job so far… I don’t think there is any link between the fight against galamsey and our support from China. China wants us to do the right thing,.” [he said].

“Chinese involvement with ….[Ghana] has been looked on with suspicion [by] the public, given [the fact that] Chinese nationals have gained notoriety for involvement in illegal mining activities, with a significant number of them currently [facing] cases in court…. High-profile donations made to the police and [the]Attorney General’s office from [the] Chinese [Ambassador to Ghana] were met with criticism from the public, [which] fears [that] the donations could compromise law enforcement stakeholders. These concerns are not without merit, given that a former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, [has] revealed [that]pressure was put on him [by] Chinese officials in Ghana when he tried to fight against illegal mining. According to Inusah Fuseini, the former Chinese Ambassador [to Ghana]tried different methods to get him to ease up on the fight against illegal miners within the small-scale mining sector.

Against such a background, I would have expected the two parties to issue a joint communique in which the problems posed by galamsey were officially recognised, and a firm commitment made to end it and implement a scheme of rehabilitation of the lands and waterways destroyed by galamsey.

Certainly, it is not enough for Dr Bawumia to interpret for us, what was told to him verbally by the Chinese authorities. Verbal assurances can be disavowed and that’s why talks between two nations are usually governed by dated and signed joint-communiques that can be cited if and when the occasion demands doing so. As the case is, the Chinese Government could, at some future date (say upon a change of government in either country) state that Dr Bawumia’s account of what the Chinese told his delegation differed from the Chinese Government’s recollection of what actually took place. Even minutes of the meeting, if not initialled by both parties, are not worth the paper they are written on.

I fear, then, that the Ghana diplomatic service may have failed the country by not insisting on a joint communique being issued on the talks. When Governments try to solve disputes between themselves and foreign governments, they usually enter into dialogue with the other side long before the actual talks take place. The agenda is agreed upon beforehand and a draft agreement drawn up by officials, which is then negotiated upon during the talks. Even when the negotiations fail to bring agreement, this is noted in the final communique, and where there is goodwill on both sides, a wish is expressed to engage in further talks, to resolve the differences.

Ghana has been independent for sixty years and it cannot go about carrying out its diplomacy as if its diplomats were born yesterday. This way of doing things was also present when the GITMO 2 case arose and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs was quited as saying that a meeting took place on the issue at which she was excluded.

Our diplomatic service must act in such a way that observers can tell, without even knowing the full details of what they say and do, that they are following the precept that a nation has no permanent friends but permanent interests.

Be that as it may, a salvage operation ought to be put in place by the Ghana Government, in which it attempts to pick up the galamsey element from the
touchline across which which it has been kicked. China. A beginning should be made by building into the financial structures promised by China, a vehicle for incorporating the cost of rehabilitating galamsey-ravaged areas, in the package of financing that the projects will require.

The dazzling schemes about bauxite mining and the construction of railways should not take precedence over projects that stand a including a built-in post-galamsey rehabilitation aspect. The “one-district-one-factory” objective, in particular, ought to start in the galamsey-ravaged areas, with the costing of the factories calculated in such a way that they would factor in the rehabilitation of the devastated areas concerned.

For instance, say it was agreed to establish a furniture factory in a galamsey-ravaged area. First of all, the project would require that all the galamsey-created craters in the area should be levelled and covered, and vegetation such as bamboos, raffia-cane or other fast-growing plants could be grown on the land and used to make furniture. The Chinese are very good at creating rura industries, and by such methods, they could help us to kill two birds with one stone: rehabilitate the ravaged lands and waterways, and at the same time, create factories that would bring money as well as creae employment for those who have disengaged from galamsey.

Other factories, constructed on the same model can take the form of cassava cultivation (from which we would get both food and starch for export); fish ponds that produce fish both for consumption and canning; and similar, imaginative projects that make use of local materials and labour.

Unless this is done, the huge sums talked about will be seen as nothing but empty words, which remind us of some grandiose schemes talked about in the past but which have not seen the light of day.

I hope the Chinese will endeavour to rescue our leadership from being accused of having “sold out” to foreign interests. That is aconcept with which the Chinese are familiar – for they have accused the Kuomintang elements in Taiwan of doing just that, for decades on end.

–

By: Cameron Duodu

The post Has there been a real ‘dialogue’ between Ghana and China? [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark this year’s World Environment Day Celebration at Kyebi in the Eastern Region, the overlord of the Akyem Abuakwa traditional area who was the chairman of the celebration, said he is confident that the president will solve the galamsey problems.

“With a new sheriff in town, the president Nana Akuffo Addo with his minister of Lands and Natural Resources John Peter Amewu with help from the media and the right policies, I believe we will see an end to this galamsey issue, we will win the fight against galamsey”

Okyenhene reiterated his quest to join the fight against galamsey, saying ” the damage we have caused to the environment is enough; we will make sure we return the polluted Birim River to its natural course. With measures, policies and good supervision, we will maintain what is left now.”

Poverty drove people into galamsey

Okyenhene Amoatia Ofori Panyin also revealed how poverty forced several others into the galamsey business due to survival.

“Before we solve galamsey we should solve the things that go wrong and poverty is one because most of our people are poor, poverty is a disease and in this part of the world it is endemic. It is poverty that has led a lot of kids into galamsey and they have messed up the water so we must try to fight poverty.”

EPA should be autonomous

Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin II, also called on government to make EPA an autonomous body to make it more effective.

“We need to make the EPA autonomous, it has to be resourced to be able to function properly, the EPA, which is a regulator cannot be under the environment ministry which is a policy maker, all regulatory agencies should be autonomous.”

As part of the celebration, a host of music stars including Obour, Nero X, Mizz Vee, Sherifa Gunu and others, thrilled the dignitaries and the audience as they performed a new song titled “Atewa Till Eternity” composed to champion the conservation of the Atewa Forest into a National Park Reserve.

–

By: Neil Amartey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post I’m confident gov’t will stop galamsey – Okyenhene appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr Robert Agyemang Nyantakyi, who made this known when he led journalists to the River Pra on Saturday said: “we are grateful to the government and Coalition of the Media, our river is showing some changes.”

Galamsey

He said until the fight had begun on illegal mining, the river, which hitherto served as a source of revenue and attracted fisher-folks from other communities, was showing signs of pollution, and thereby made life unbearable for the people.

The DCE said since the campaign began, a district task force was formed by the people, to prevent the illegal business saying, “this is the result we are witnessing.”

“But since the fight, which drove away the illegal miners, life is returning to normalcy and the river is beginning to flow freely, an indication that things will work again,” he said.

Mr Nyantankyi, therefore, called for intensification of the campaign to enable the practice to stop in all parts of the country.

Media coalition

The Ghanaian media in April 2017 began the single biggest journey ever to rescue the nation from the scourge of illegal mining (galamsey) with the launch of the media coalition against Galamsey to advocate a complete cessation of the illicit activity.

The campaign is meant to be a wake-up call to the harm being done to water bodies and the vegetation by the illegal miners.

The coalition is made up of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the New Times Corporation, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), the Community Radio Network and OccupyGhana.

Education

On education, Mr Nyantakyi said the district had put in place measures to improve results in the basic as well as the senior high schools.

Among the measures, he indicated, include checking absenteeism, setting up motivating schemes for teachers and encouraging parents to be more responsible for the wards.

“We are encouraging parents to give ample time to their wards to study at home and also help them in their assignments.”

Security

The DCE said the district had acquired some street lights to give facelift to the area and also to ensure security.

Agriculture

On agriculture, Mr Nyantakyi said the district, would as part of the government’s agenda, support the people to undertake backyard gardening and other agricultural projects.

Health

He said the assembly would set up funds to motivate nursing students who graduate from the nursing training college in the district, in other to retain them in the district after their programme.

–

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The post Galamsey fight: River Pra showing signs of improvement appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

During a visit by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu to the site on May 22, 2017, as part of Ashanti Regional tour of some illegal mining sites, the Minister alleged that the military was providing cover for the company.

Mr. Amewu, who could not believe the development queried the military personnel, who disclosed that they had been dispatched there by Lt Col Sebastian Abraham Arhin, the Commanding Officer (CO) of 4 Infantry Battalion situated in the Ashanti Region.

Geo Professional Services was issued with the “stop work order” by the Inspection Directorate of the Minerals Commission on May 18 but disregarded directives and continued mining.

Owned and run by Russians and Ukrainians, the company was mining on concessions fronted by three Ghanaian companies – Kasmil Mining Company Limited, K. Afriyie and Sons Precious Metal Company and King Solomon Mining Company. Each of the three companies secured licences for 25 acres of land from the Lands Commission but according to the residents, GPS has been operating over 500 acres of land for the past 25 years and causing devastation in the area. Their activities have depleted the entire area and destroyed four rivers that have been a source of water in Tontokrom.

The company is to reclaim all destroyed lands and provide evidence to the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission of the restoration.

Mr. Amewu who was astonished by this development ordered the closure of the company and also caused the arrest of the 4 foreign managers of the company.

Military concludes probe into allegations

Meanwhile, the Military High Command has concluded investigations into these allegations following an order for a probe by Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul.

According to Citi News sources at the Defence Ministry, the report has been forwarded to the President who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The Minister for Defence is scheduled to address the press immediately the President is briefed on the matter and an appropriate decision taken.

–

By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘Tontokrom galamsey soldiers’ name Commanding Officer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The government imposed the six-month ban on small-scale mining as part of efforts to end illegal mining and its degrading effects on the environment.

[contextly_sidebar id=”W7yX9frO04D2X5YzYC125ax7SEZGhPSy”]The affected miners had expressed reservations about the ban, which is in its second month, but in a meeting with the miners in Kumasi, Mr. Amewu rather called on the miners to comply with the ban.

“The ban on small-scale mining is on course. It is for six months so help us work collectively towards these six months. Collectively, until you are allowed to go back to the mining site, you will have to help us make sure we comply with that directive.”

“The fight against illicit mining is ongoing and till these six months, if we are unable to clear the system and rid out all the illegal people who are doing the mining, we will not be prepared to engage and bring you back to the mining site,” the minister stated.

The government has also warned the small scale miners that any attempt to breach the six-month freeze on all forms of small-scale mining will be considered a violation of the laws of the country and will be met with action from security forces, who will be deployed to enforce the ban.

The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners has expressed its displeasure with the ban and its Ashanti Region chapter plans to demonstrate against it.

During the Minister’s tour of the Ashanti Region, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, however, urged small-scale miners in the Region to comply with government’s ban.

According to him, the ban is a step in the right direction and will help deal with the menace, urging Ghanaians to understand that “this is being done to save Ghana from extinction.”

–

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

The post Small-scale mining ban to exceed six months if… – Amewu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to CEPIL, such powers were taken from the sector agencies when a new law – Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (703) was enacted to repeal a previous law introduced under the PNDC regime.

While speaking at a forum organized by WACAM in collaboration with Citi FM and Tropenbos Ghana, the Executive Director of CEPIL, Augustine Niber also called for the review of mining laws to eliminate the conflicting roles of sector agencies.

[contextly_sidebar id=”3mwEVslD75i5VWeu4EC9PplZOJCsb9Sb”]There are a number of Ministries and government agencies currently supervising activities that border on the environment in Ghana.

“…If we want to sustain the fight against irresponsible mining, we have to also reform our mining related institutions and eliminate the conflicting roles that have sometimes hindered their operations. We also need to provide the regulators with the power to prosecute offenders in their enforcement of the laws and regulation since under Act 703 as amended, the regulators do not have the power to prosecute unless through another authority,” Mr. Niber said.

“The mining regulators and related institutions should also be allowed to work if we are to make any headway. The institutions should be allowed to implement the laws and regulations governing the sector without fear or favour irrespective of who is involved and without interference from the powers that be if we want to put this issue of galamsey and irresponsible mining in this country to rest,” he added.

Mr. Niber further called for sanctions for the head of agencies found culpable of facilitating the work of illegal miners in the country.

“We should equally be ready to sanction any person in these institutions who are complicit or involved in any act of impropriety or illegality or condone the perpetuation of illegality by any person or company.”

The forum was held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on Wednesday and was on the theme: “Mobilizing national efforts for responsible mining.”

#StopGalamseyNow advocacy

Citi FM some few months ago began a #StopGalamseyNow campaign in a bid to put pressure on duty bearers to stop person engaged in small-scale illegal mining to halt operations.

This follows predictions by analysts that Ghana may soon import water from neighbouring countries of such activities are not checked immediately.

Below are the demands of Citi FM:

• The total cessation of all small and medium scale mining for a period of six months
• The cessation of the issuance of new mining licenses 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

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Give mining sector agencies prosecution powers – CSO  appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The campaign, which officially started on April 3, 2017, highlights dire effects of illegal mining on the environment, and Citi FM staff and volunteers were again distributing fliers to motorists and pedestrians.

As part of today’s drive, staff and volunteers also carried samples of polluted water from the Birim River to serve as a snapshot of pollution from illegal mining across the country.

The #StopGalamseyNow 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 licenses 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

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Citi FM hits streets for second phase of #StopGalamseyNow campaign [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The campaign, which officially started on April 3, focused on environmental degradation but Staff of the company will again hit the streets and narrow the awareness to the increasing cost of water treatment; the cause of which is attributable to illegal mining.

Citi FM journalists have visited a number of these polluted rivers over the past month to highlight what water treatment plants and some river-dependent communities have to deal with.

The situation with the degradation is so dire, Ghana may resort to the importation of clean water within two decades.

For instance, in the Western Region, the River Pra and River Ankobra are among the major bodies suffering from the fall out of illegal mining with reliant treatment plants. like the Daboase plant, suffering as a result.Eastern Region The main water body in the Eastern Region that has been polluted is Birim. Plants in

In the Eastern Region, the main water body in the Eastern Region that has been polluted is Birim with Plants in Kyebi, which were meant for water treatment shutting down due to pollution.

The #StopGalamseyNow 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 licenses 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

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post #StopGalamseyNow campaign turns attention to water bodies appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said the MMIP, a five-year initiative adopted by the Ministry, embodies a livelihood empowerment project for the miners, revision of mining laws and law enforcement.

[contextly_sidebar id=”xQoRydpFCZQGPm4DAp5ZVSUsEtUS3PDm”]Mr Amewu made the call on Friday in Accra when the staff of the Ministry embarked on a float to register their support for the National Red Friday crusade of Stop Galamsey championed by the Media Coalition against Galamsey, Citi FM, and OccupyGhana.

The Coalition declared the day a National Red Friday to rally Ghanaians to demonstrate their rage and anger at illicit mining that had taken a toll on the environment and push harder for a total end to the menace.

Mr Amewu said, “Government is not against mining activities in the country but the crusade is for people to conform to rules and regulations guiding mining activities”.

He said through the MMIP, the Ministry would engage the illegal miners and the youth in tree planting activities to reclaim the lands that had been destroyed through mining.

Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, told reporters that it was better to ensure that the right thing was done at the early stages rather than wait till things got out of hand.

“The activities of illegal mining have destroyed our water bodies in Kyebi. A nice state of the art water treatment plant, for instance, has been polluted and we need to restore our water bodies to have adequate drinking water.

“Irrespective of the ban, we have their welfare at hand. The One District One Factory will cover the areas of illegal mining to cater for the miners….Palm plantation and the Planting for Food and Jobs are other initiatives taken by the Government to cater for the miners as a result of the ban,” she said.

The float, which attracted staff of the Ministry clad in red galamsey-designed T-shirts, marched through some principal streets of Accra amidst brass band music displaying placards some of which read: “Help Stop Galamsey”, “Stop Galamsey and Save Lives”, “Galamsey is destroying our water bodies,” “Value life, not Gold”, and “Think Right, Mine Right, Live Right”.

The National Red Friday crusade to Stop Galamsey is a platform for Ghanaians to raise their voices against the negative activities of illegal miners and get the Government to put in place measures to restore order in the mining industry.

Citi FM has been at the forefront of media advocacy and crusade for action against the illegal activity.

The station has carried out various in-studio and out-of studio activities including airing documentaries, rallying public support through the distribution of fliers and petitioning parliament to act on the matter.

The petition has since been referred to a joint parliamentary committee for consideration.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana with files from GNA

The post Gov’t will cater for welfare of illegal miners – Amewu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He told Citi News in an interview that, excavators found scavenging for gold without permit will be destroyed.

“What we want to do is that, if you own an excavator, and for some reason you want that excavator to go and work at a place, that excavator must have a working permit. So you have a permit for your concession, but the excavator that is going to work there must also have a permit. So in the attempt to get that excavator a permit, that is when we are going to put in that tracking device. So that if they go and use the excavator for working somewhere else which is not a demarcated area to work, then the owner of the excavator will be treated differently from the concession owner.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”ZS18Zedkm3TASftbistoYgIuANuhWznG”]“And so if you own an excavator, and you will allow it to be confiscated and destroyed, that will be your own responsibility,” Mr. Amewu added.

A three-week ultimatum the Minister gave illegal miners to halt their operations ended on Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

According to the Minister, his outfit has put in place adequate measures to ensure that illegal mining also known as galamsey is halted.

“We’ve realized that the concession owners are different from owners of the excavators. Some of the people who own these excavators rent them at a price of GHc2, 500 excluding fuel. So by the end of the day they [galamseyers] could be spending quite close to GHc3, 000 or GHc4, 000. So these guys are not poor people, they are rich people to pay such amount of money,” he added.

544 excavators moved from galamsey sites

About 544 excavators are said to have been moved out of their hideouts at separate illegal mining sites, following the expiration of the ultimatum.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubynn, the excavators have been packed in the homes of their owners, and on the streets in some areas of the country including Dunkwa and Obuasi.

He also said the recalcitrant illegal miners who ignore the ultimatum will have themselves to blame.

“From our checks, 544 excavators have moved voluntarily away from wherever they were, and we think that they were being used for illegal mining. That is our suspicion. But now, they have moved from wherever nook and cranny they were onto the road side, some have packed them in their homes. So it is not for us to arrest them for now, because the machines have been brought from the operations, they are not doing anything. If they will be packed there and not do illegal mining, nobody will do anything to them. If you go to Obuasi, Dunkwa, you will see a lot of them packed by the streets. So it’s about all of a sudden moving from hideouts to places where they are not doing anything,” he added.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Excavators will now operate with permits – Amewu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.