Galamsey: Repeal L.I that allows for prospecting; stop issuing new mining licenses – Buaben Asamoa

 

Rather than forming a ministerial committee to look at illegal small-scale mining issues, the president should initiate a process to repeal the Legislative Instrument (LI) that allows for prospecting in the forests, Former Member of Parliament for Adentan, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has said.

In November 2022, the government introduced the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462) to provide statutory procedures for mining in forest reserves and remedial actions for mitigating the impacts of such actions.

Buaben Asamoa wants this L. I amended.
In addition to that, he said issuing new mining licenses should stop.

These are the pragmatic steps to allow for a broader reflection on the illicit small-scale mining and the way forward, he said on the Big Issue on TV3 on Monday, September 17.

In his view, the new ministerial committee President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo formed to address the illegal galamsey is useless.

The committee, he said, cannot achieve anything significant within the last few months of the President’s administration.

Rather than forming a ministerial committee to look at illegal small-scale mining issues, the president should initiate a process to repeal the Legislative Instrument (LI) that allows for prospecting in the forests, Former Member of Parliament for Adentan, Yaw Buaben Asamoa has said.

In November 2022, the government introduced the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462) to provide statutory procedures for mining in forest reserves and remedial actions for mitigating the impacts of such actions.

Buaben Asamoa wants this L.I. amended.
In addition to that, he said issuing new mining licenses should stop.

These are the pragmatic steps to allow for a broader reflection on the illicit small-scale mining and the way forward, he said on the Big Issue on TV3 on Monday, September 17.

In his view, the new ministerial committee President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo formed to address the illegal galamsey is useless.

“The committee is useless, it will not achieve anything in three months. The L.I. allowing prospecting and digging in forest reserves should be repealed immediately, which should also stop issuing new licenses, and stop excavators from moving from Tema into the bushes.

“Take pragmatic steps, the mere pronouncement of a state of emergency does not stop the issue, are the military going there to take out the politically exposed persons?”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, as the chairman of the committee, an ad hoc ministerial committee to engage stakeholders galamsey.

This was announced by Information Minister Fatimatu Abubakar in a notice on Friday, September 13.

This comes at a time when pressure has been mounted on the government to ban galamsey.

The National Executive and, indeed, the entire membership of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) that added its voice to the call on the government by Organized Labour and other civil society organizations for the immediate ban on Galamsey. stated that as a union of traders in the country with an interest in driving economic development and sustainability in Ghana, they felt it a duty as well as a shared responsibility to also ensure that the natural resources of the country are judiciously used and preserved for future generations to also benefit.

From the recent discourse that has taken over the media landscape, GUTA said, it is a very clear indication that enough is enough for galamsay in this country.

Although small-scale mining has been going on for decades, it is now apparently clear that the country has come to a tipping point. The influx of foreign entities, especially, the Chinese with their heavy machinery, has degraded the sector for the worse, a statement issued said.

“We are of the strong view that if nothing is done urgently about the situation, the country may not be able to recover from the devastating effect of illegal mining. In this regard, GUTA calls on the President of the Republic to declare a state of emergency on the matter as soon as possible to ensure that every resource is given the needed attention and direct the fight for complete eradication of the scourge.

“It is our fervent hope that the President would heed to the numerous calls and act decisively to end the menace before his tenure of office ends, which would be a great legacy for him,” GUTA said in a statement.

Below is the full list.

The five-member committee is led by the

1. National Security Minister, Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah

Other members of the committee are:

2. Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor

3. Minister for Defense, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul

4. Minister for Employment, Labour Relations