By Stephen Asante
Accra, Oct. 08, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the Attorney-General to collaborate with the Chief Justice to ensure swift adjudication of illegal mining cases.
He reiterated that all forms of mining in water bodies, as well as reconnaissance, prospecting, exploration and small-scale mining in forest reserves, remained banned, mandating that law enforcement agencies work assiduously to rid the designated red zones of all forms of mining.
These measures are part of the outcome of the recent emergency meeting between the President and organised labour at the Jubilee House, Accra, which sought to find a lasting solution to the illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) menace.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Information at the meeting added that the government would take steps, when the Parliament reconvened this month, to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L. I. 2462).
“Government reiterates its commitment to the fight against illegal small-scale mining and calls on all stakeholders to join the fight,” the statement said.
It said the meeting discussed the long-standing issue of illegal mining and reviewed the situation and the government’s efforts thus far.
In spite of the development, labour unions have still declared their intention to stage a nationwide strike effective October 10, to express their dissatisfaction at what they described as the government’s lukewarm attitude against illegal small-scale mining.
The Nana Akufo-Addo-led Administration, responding to public outcry against the negative effects of ‘galamsey’, placed a ban on illegal small-scale mining activities in March 2017.
That move stopped both legal small-scale and illegal artisanal miners from carrying out any such activity, in an attempt to recover Ghana’s lost forest cover while addressing pollution of the water bodies.
The bold initiative achieved some significant success as a comparison of the general water quality status of the water bodies in the Pra Basin in 2013 and 2018, using the Water Quality Index (WQI), which showed a marginal improvement in quality in 2018 over that of 2013.
The improvement in water quality was attributable to the ban.
‘Galamsey’ continues to be a threat to forest and water resources in Ghana as the country has recently seen an upsurge in the menace.
This has been condemned by various identifiable groups, including environmental scientists, researchers and civil society organisations.
It is estimated that some 34 major forest reserves in the country have been significantly affected due to illegal small-scale mining, with a total of 4, 726.2 hectares of forests being dissipated or degraded as a result of the mining illegalities carried out in those reserves.
According to the Forestry Commission, some of the worst affected forest reserves are Apamprama, Subin Shelterbelt and Oda River Forest in the Ashanti Region.
The Ministry of Information indicated that the government had resolved to ramp up its enforcement measures, particularly as it related to prohibiting illegal mining in water bodies and forest reserves.
“Water bodies and forest reserves remain red zones for mining,” the statement emphasised.
GNA