Gov’t Collaborates with Small Scale Miners to Reinforce Galamsey Fight

The government of Ghana has announced collaboration with the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) in clamping down on illegal mining which is heavily polluting the country’s water bodies.

This is part of what it calls “Operational Measures” to intensify the ongoing “Operation Halt”.

“Government reasserts that river bodies and forest reserves remain red zones. Government reiterates its commitment to the fight against illegal small-scale mining and calls on all stakeholders to join the fight,” the Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar said in a press statement on October 9.

The inclusion of GNASSM in the fight against illegal mining comes after the Association served notice about its willingness to “deploy its task force to the water bodies to arrest illegal miners polluting our water bodies, mining close to highways and all the fabricators of the dredgers”.

This was in response to organized labour’s demand for decisive action against the menace with a threat to embark on a strike.

Strike
Organised labour is set for an industrial action on October 10, 2024. This is geared at compelling the government to declare a state of emergency; revoke LI 2462 that mandates the mining in forest reserves; remove seized machinery from forest reserves; establish special courts to try those engaging in illegal mining; give the police and the military a free hand to operate; and compel political parties vying in the general election to make a commitment to the fight against galamsey.

Last week, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo met with the leadership of the group.

At the meeting, the President is said to have committed to taking steps when Parliament reconvenes to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L. I. 2462), prohibit illegal mining in water bodies and forest reserves, and designate these areas as Red Zones for mining.

Furthermore, they reportedly agreed that the Attorney-General would collaborate with the Chief Justice to ensure swift adjudication of illegal mining cases while all Presidential Candidates sign a pact committing to the fight against illegal mining to depoliticise it.

Subsequent to all the agreements reached, the group agreed to back down on the intended strike, according to the government.

However, at a presser on October 7, the group announced plans to proceed with it.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini