Richard Ahiagbah, the governing New Patriotic Party’s Director of Communications has explained why the fight against illegal small-scale mining is being won.
He has cited how in the past 12 months, government has undertaken a series of measures including rolling out community mining and how a social intervention programme was helping displaced galamseyers.
“The fight against galamsey is being won,” Ahiagbah declared in an October 6, 2022 tweet, adding: “In the past year, 15 legal community mining schemes are operational (2,175 acres). 93 concessions have been issued. The National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Program is engaging displaced galamseyers.”
His comments are at variance with that of the President and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Samuel Abdulai Jinapor respectively.
The duo were in attendance at an October 5, 2022 meeting at the Lancaster Hotel in Manhyia, where Akufo-Addo renewed the call for a concerted depoliticized effort to combat the galamsey menace.
The National House of Chiefs gave their support to the fight whiles the President cautioned Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, MMDCEs present to get their acts together or get fired.
Galamsey has become topical in recent months with the resurgence of news on its continued negative impact on the environment.
The issue has also been given impetus following the rearrest last month of a notorious galamsey kingpin in the person of Aisha Huang. A Chinese national who had as of 2018 been repatriated from Ghana after the state discontinued a criminal trial against her for galamsey.
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