President Akufo-Addo is expected to hold a crunch meeting between five Regional Ministers following the resurgence of illegal mining in their jurisdictions, dailymailgh.com has learned.
Regional Ministers in Ashanti, Western, Eastern, Western North, and Central Regions, together with their Chief Executives in Municipal and District Assemblies, will meet the President in the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi, sources say.
The meeting is expected to find a new approach to deal with the menace of illegal mining in these areas.
After more than five years of intense war against illegal mining popularly known as ‘Galamsey’, it appears the efforts are not paying off as unlicensed miners continue to pillage Forest Reserves and pollute water bodies for gold.
Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor who visited Manso Datano in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region expressed shock as hectares of land were degraded with impunity.
He, therefore, wants political heads, security agencies and the Minerals Commission to find answers to the situation.
“It should baffle all of us as citizens and policymakers and stakeholders in this fight how an operation like this in the heart of the forest and the far away areas of our country can go on without notice by police, chiefs, the local political leadership, assembly people, the District Chief Executive and even the inspectorate division of the minerals commission here,” Mr Jinapor said.
The Minister has assured that government will not renege on efforts to deal with the situation, adding that the war on illegal mining has not wavered.
“It will require the concerted efforts of all of us; it cannot be the fight for government alone or for ministers alone. That should be the fight for all of us, citizens and all the actors in the body politic of Ghana.
“The President himself chaired a meeting on this matter and extensive discussions took place and we would continue relentlessly with integrity to do our best with this matter of illegal mining operations in this country.
“The Ghanaian people should be rest assured that whatever we have to do to make sure that we get to a satisfactory situation in this country in respect of this canker, we will do so,” the Damongo Member of Parliament added.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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