The Deputy Lands Minister, Hon. George Mireku Duker, has charged chiefs and the MMDAs in Ashanti Region(A/R) to put their shoulders to the wheel and push harder toward ensuring that the relentless fight against Galamsey or illegal mining succeeds.
The unflinching commitment demonstrated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government in the fight against illegal mining, according to the deputy minister was not aimed at chalking personal glory but to protect and safeguard the country’s rich resources and secure for her future generations.
In a message to stimulate interest and exhort the minds of the traditional leaders and the youth of Ashanti Region to the all-important task of winning the galamsey fight, Hon. Duker said that there must be a collective resolve by Ghanaians that “never again should we mine in our river bodies.”
He said such pledge should not be mere words of mouth but demonstrated through effective collaboration with government in its fight against illegal mining.
In this regional engagement to encourage the Chiefs and the staff of MMDAs in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Duker stressed that the desire to ensure that future generations get access to safe water should be a motivating factor for all stakeholders to actively participate in the fight ruthlessly.
Honourable Mireku Duker said, “We all must come together and declare that never again are we going to allow people mine in our river bodies. The good steps we are taking has caught the attention of Sudan, South Africa and Zambia and they have all been here to study our small-scale mining regime. What is left for us to do is to protect our water-bodies. We know it’s not an event and we can’t completely abolish it but let’s reduce it to the barest minimum. It won’t be an easy battle but we can win. Government is doing its part; we must also do ours.”
On the initiatives by government to reduce galamsey activities and increase revenue in the small-scale mining sector, Hon. Duker announced that government would in the coming days commission the ‘situational room’ where all mining activities in the country would be monitored.
He said every activity of miners and mining equipment would be transmitted digitally and viewed from the office of the Minerals Commission.
This, he said will add to the deployment of lifeguards, the permanent patrol of River Offin, Ankobra and Pra, the introduction of the Community Mining Scheme and others as means of abolishing galamsey and encouraging sustainable mining activities.
He stated that as custodians of lands and culture, the traditional authorities have an obligation to protect the water-bodies for generations yet unborn.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, commended the government for the fight and urged residents in the region to report illegal mining activities in their localities. He upon the MMDCEs to help uproot the canker and save the region’s future.
Hon. Duker also took questions from the staff of the MMDA’s and the chiefs. He addressed each one of them and gave the firm assurance that the government will not give up on the fight.
