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Amansie South District Chief Executive, Clement Poku Gyamfi
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The District Chief Executive of the Amansie South District Assembly in the Ashanti Region, Clement Poku Gyamfi, has stressed that the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, must be a shared responsibility.
He has therefore stated that government should not be left alone to fight the canker, calling on the entire citizenry to put in efforts to stop the menace “like we fought COVID-19 from the onset”.
Mr. Gyamfi, who is popularly known as CID, also urged the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, among other security institutions, to be watchdogs as government leads the fight.
“Government needs everyone to fight illegal mining just as we all joined hands to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. When Ghana started recording cases of the pandemic, we did not leave the fight to only the Ghana Health Service, but we all played our significant roles to control the situation, and here we are today. I agree that a state of emergency should be declared on the act to save the environment,” he said this in an interview on Peace FM yesterday.
Environment
He added: “We all need the environment to survive, and it is understandable to expect a lot from government and, for that matter, politicians…But we should remind ourselves that those at the ports and harbours have their role to play because equipment used for galamsey are all imported”.
He further explained that although politicians have roles to play as policymakers, traditional leaders and the ordinary Ghanaian cannot be left out in the fight.
Communities within the Amansie Central District are predominantly small-scale mining communities, and illegal mining activities seem to be an issue of great concern in the district.
The DCE also urged the law courts and law enforcement agencies to be strict in applying laws governing mineral extraction in the country.
“Nananom, land owners, landlords, lawyer and judges are all needed in this. Eleven people were caught and arraigned before court last year, and we cannot pinpoint any stringent punishment given to them. Again, nine people have been remanded just last two weeks.
“These galamseyers are mostly foreigners; they are very canning and eager to mine at all cost. I will also plead with the Ghana Education Service and teachers to teach the young ones the effect of illegal mining,” he urged.
In his view, the illegal miners intentionally mention names of high profile personalities in the country just to scare away the state security when they are caught.
He therefore encouraged security personnel deployed to illegal mining sites to arrest and prosecute any suspect no matter the names they mention.
“Government has not lost the fight against galamsey, and it is up to everyone to aid government in the fight. I can recall instances where illegal miners caught on site mentioned names of big men in the country, but investigations proved that there was no truth in that,” he added.
Credit: PeaceFM