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Small-scale miners vow to expose politicians involved in galamsey
According to them, they are totally committed to helping the government completely eradicate the menace, which has led to the destruction of lands and rivers across the country.
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A year ago, the government declared a national war on illegal mining and went ahead to place a ban on all small-scale mining activities as part of the measures to save the situation.
However, the ban is set to be lifted in the coming weeks, with a detailed roadmap on how miners should operate also to be released.
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The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners believe they must also do their part to ensure that illegal mining is a thing of the past.
According to the Association‘s General Secretary, Godwin Armah, they will leave no stone unturned and will go as far as exposing politicians who involve themselves in illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.
“Everyone has the capacity to expose. You shouldn’t sit on the fence, the law is clear, if you want to do mining, get the required licenses then you operate. So if you are a politician and you go in illegally it is not because you are a politician the law will be different. The association will ensure that we expose any politician or traditional leader who operates illegally or support illegality in the mining space,“ he said.
The warning comes after the Association announced steps it has put in place to streamline their operations ahead of government’s announcement of the lifting of the ban on small-scale mining.
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The steps include coordination mechanisms, use of technology to monitor compliance and signing of a compliance blueprint with the Minerals Commission.
In the past, certain political figures have been accused of owning mine concessions and engaging in illegal mining activities.
Recently, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, was accused of being involved in galamsey activities by a group calling itself the Concerned Small-scale Miners Union of Ghana.
The Minority in Parliament also called for a probe into the dealings of the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, after alleging that he is involved in illegal mining activities.
Meanwhile, the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry has indicated that it will conduct thorough investigations into both allegations.
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