The Lower West Akyem Constituency organizer of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), Mr. Joshua Kwabena Amoah has said Nana Akufo-Addo administration has disappointed Ghanaians in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
According to him, Ghanaians voted the National Democratic Congress administration led by Mr.John Dramani Mahama out in 2016 over its failure to end illegal mining to protect Lands, Waterbodies, and Forest Reserve and trusted the NPP administration but they have also messed up in the first term in office, adding, the second approach to end illegal mining will yield no result until the two major political parties which have been in power since 1992 are set aside.
Commenting on matters arising from the fight against illegal mining in the Country, Mr.Joshua Kwabena Amoah noted that, the business started booming under the late Atta Mills and former President John Mahama administration due to the lack of Factories to provide jobs for the Youth in the Country.
He said some selfish Political leaders in past and current administration after failing to create jobs for Ghanaians have also been involved in the illegal mining and accused National Security Personnel and Chiefs of failing to exposed persons entering the country illegally and Mining Communities with equipment to mobilize Ghanaians for such act.
The Constituency organizer condemned the approach by Government to seize and burn equipment from the illegal miners and said the equipment should be documented as state properties and be handed over to Assemblies and other Institutions that lack machines.
Landing the one village one Dam initiative by the Government, Mr.Kwabena Amaoh called on Ministry for Environment and the Defence Ministry to donate some of the Excavators seized from the illegal miners for the projects.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), Dr. Kwaku Afriyie says the government will continue to burn excavators being used for illegal mining when soldiers seize them.
To him, burning the machines is the best alternative to fighting illegal surface mining rather than seizing them.
