Former President John Dramani Mahama has announced that small-scale miners will be compelled to undergo skills training on responsible mining and land reclamation techniques if he is elected president in the 2024 general elections.
Addressing the clergy in Accra on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate emphasized the need for sustainable mining practices to minimize environmental harm.
“We will compel small-scale miners to undertake skills training in modern responsible methods and land reclamation techniques as part of their operations to minimize environmental harm,” Mahama stated.
Mahama also outlined a comprehensive plan aimed at tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, while promoting environmental restoration through the “Tree for Life and Blue Water” initiative. He added that public officials, including politicians, would be banned from participating in mining activities.
Presently, there is mounting pressure on the government to fire all Municipal and District Chief Executives under whose watch the practice of illegal mining is taking place. One of the individuals leading such calls is the Convener of the Media Coalition against Galamsey, Kenneth Ashigbey.
Illegal mining has emerged as a significant challenge in the country, particularly due to its detrimental impact on Ghana’s water bodies. Despite a series of government interventions ranging from deploying security forces to arresting offenders, the problem of galamsey continues unabated.
Recently, President Akufo-Addo directed the set up of a five-member ad hoc ministerial committee to engage stakeholders to assess the government’s efforts to deal with illegal mining activities.
While the reassessment continues, there are also growing calls for the government to ban small-scale mining and declare a state of emergency to protect water bodies and the country’s vegetation cover.
Government’s representatives in the sector in question have however shot down such calls, citing the economic benefit the country derives from gold production by small-scale miners.
Source: tigpost.co
