Members of the Council of State will today [Friday], begin a nationwide tour of areas affected by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The Council, seeks to assess at first hand the level of the devastation in these areas. The tour will commence from the Eastern Region through to Ashanti and Western.
The Council is expected to present a report on the situation and advise the President on what actions to take to address the matter after the tour.
Government and stakeholders including the Minerals Commission, have been challenged to work to address the menace of illegal small-scale mining which has left severe consequences on the environment.
Many communities in about 6 regions of the country are currently suffering the effects of the menace. Most of Ghana’s fresh water bodies have become poisonous with thousands of acres of fertile farmlands destroyed as a result of the menace.
Although Ghana’s laws are clear on illegal mining, the activity has been allowed to continue for more than two decades.
Citi FM has been at the forefront of media advocacy and crusade for action against the illegal activity. The station among other things petitioned Parliament to act to stop the menace.
The efforts have yielded some positive results including a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses for small-scale mining.
The fight against the menace received a major boost this week following the launch of a project implementation manual.
The manual spells out the actions to be undertaken to deal with the challenge and transform illegal mining activities into vibrant medium-scale businesses in the long run.
Developed by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the manual has timelines, actions and costs, and supports the Multilateral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP).
It focuses on law enforcement, the deployment of technology, the involvement of communities among other actions, in dealing with galamsey.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
