The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul has indicated that government will not hesitate to deploy the military to fight the galamsey menace in the country.
He said the Armed Forces will help restore sanity to the mining sector if it becomes necessary to support the ongoing efforts.
Speaking at an interactive session with some soldiers at Burma Camp in Accra, the minister lamented the level of destruction Ghana’s water bodies and land resources were subjected to as a result of illegal mining.
“I can assure you that the Armed Forces will as part of their normal internal security will get involved if they have to get involved in sorting out the issue of galamsey. And the government is committed to ensuring that the issue of galamsey, especially along the water bodies, is brought to a complete halt.”
“Because it is purely indiscipline and it cannot be allowed to continue, the harm it is bringing to us cannot be qualified. People are drinking cyanides and other harmful chemicals.
The government is stepping up its effort in the fight against illegal mining in the country following major concerns against the menace, raised by various Civil Society groups and the media.
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 government has said it is focused on ensuring that the menace is fully addressed the sector properly fragmented to ensure that mining in the country is done in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, Members of the Council of State are currently on a nationwide tour of areas affected by illegal mining.
The Council seeks to assess at first hand the level of the devastation in these areas and will present a report with its recommendations to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
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