By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Oct 13, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to chiefs and traditional rulers to support the Government’s efforts to combat the menace of illegal mining (galamsey) in the country.
He made the appeal when he received Members of the Western North Regional House of Chiefs at the Presidency in Accra.
The delegation, which was led by Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs and President of the National House of Chiefs, was at the Presidency to congratulate President Mahama on his massive victory in the Election 2024 and to thank him for the numerous development projects that the Region had begun to witness under his leadership and to present a litany of issues to him for redress.
“We need your support in the fight against illegal mining. It is our hope that as we implement the New Economy Policy and create alternative livelihoods for our young people, we will discourage many of those who risk their lives in galamsey,” the President said.
He noted that often, when enforcing the fight against galamsey, they found even Senior High School students in illegal mining pits.
“When you ask them why they are there, they said their parents could not give them money to go to school, so they were there to work and earn some money. It is a major issue we need to confront.”
President Mahama said the Government was pursuing these young people, and they had arrested several of them.
He said at the last count, hundreds were awaiting trial, and many were on bail but still awaiting trial.
“It saddens me that we have to enforce the law and that some of these young people may have to go to jail for engaging in illegal mining,” the President said.
“The question we must ask is: what alternative do we have for them? Alongside enforcing the law against illegal mining, we must provide alternative livelihoods. That is why we are implementing the New Economy Policy.”
He said, he believed that if they invested $10 billion in job-rich sectors of the economy, including tourism, one of the nine pillars, it should provide alternative livelihoods for the nation’s young people and discourage them from going into galamsey.
President Mahama said they need the help of chiefs in the fight against galamsey because they live in the communities with the people.
He said sometimes, though the National Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) may be doing a good job, but in some communities, the youth, traditional authorities and others fought back against the task force.
President Mahama said there had been a few incidents where soldiers had to discharge firearms, resulting in deaths, which must be avoided.
He requested the collaboration of their chiefs to help in the galamsey fight, especially in forest reserves and water bodies.
He said in next year’s Budget, the Minister of Finance had provided another GH¢400 million to employ more Blue Water Guards to patrol the water bodies and that they had been instructed to destroy changfang machines whenever they encounter them.
He noted that they had destroyed many changfang machines, and in many cases, the main channels of rivers had been cleared of these machines.
President Mahama said however, there were also tributaries that extended for hundreds of kilometres and that even when the main channel had been cleared, mud and silt continued to flow down from the tributaries.
“We have made progress in clearing forest reserves. There were nine forest reserves classified as red zones, meaning the destruction was extensive and the illegal miners were dangerous and heavily armed,” the President stated.
He reiterated that whenever forest guards went there, they were fired at, and some lost their lives.
He explained that at a point in time when they deployed soldiers, they were able to clear some of the zones and handed them back to the forest guards, however, as soon as the soldiers withdrew, the illegal miners returned.
“We have now cleared all nine of those red zones. There are no galamsey operators in those forest reserves, and we have stationed soldiers there to ensure that the illegal miners do not return. The soldiers will remain in those areas.” The President said.
He told the chiefs that the Goldbod had also started a programme in which it was engaging the military to help replant the destroyed forests and reclaim the land, adding that they would use bulldozers to level the land and plant economic trees, while the Forestry Commission works with them on the reclamation.
Ogyeahoho Gyebi commended President Mahama for the numerous development projects the Western North Region was witnessing under his leadership.
He reaffirmed their commitment to support President Mahama in managing affairs in the country to have development and peace across the length and breadth of the nation.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo