Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah
Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) in the country on Wednesday (22 January), called on President John Mahama to issued a bold directive to stop illegal mining also known.
It comes after violent clashes between some illegal miners and military personnel guarding the AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Obuasi Mine on Sunday left about nine people dead and one military personnel injured.
Prior to that, three persons were also killed following an attempted breach of security at Newmont’s mining site at Ntotroso to allegedly steal gold.
Addressing a news conference on Natural Resource and Environmental Governance, Energy Transition and Anti-Corruption on Wednesday in Accra , Executive Director of
HELP Foundation Africa, Kyei Kwadwo Yamoah said government’s silence on the matter is worrying.
”Your Excellency, we applaud your pledge to ban mining in forest reserves and roll out initiatives like the ‘Tree for Life’ and ‘Blue Water Initiative’ to rehabilitate degraded areas. However, illegal mining continues unabated, resulting in environmental degradation, the destruction of cocoa farms, and the pollution of vital water bodies.”
”We urge you to: Issue a bold directive to halt all illegal mining activities immediately to deter those who defy the law. Repeal the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462) and enhance enforcement of existing mining laws. Empower District and Regional Security Councils (DISEC and REGSEC) to enforce bans effectively at the local level.”
The group also wants government to expedite prosecution of illegal miners through the establishment of special court for galamsey.
”Expedite prosecution of illegal miners by getting the Attorney General to work with the Chief Justice to establish a special court to fast track illegal mining cases.”
Listen to Kyei Kwadwo Yamoah in the attached video clip below:
Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra
