The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong says despite the numerous setbacks recorded in the war against illegal mining in the country, the government has not lost sight of the fight.
For him, the resolve to end all forms of illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as ‘galamsey’ is still on course within the remits of the law.
“If you crack the whip, you hear commentators say it is high-handedness, but we are a determined and decided government. We are not complaining and throwing our hands in despair”, he said on The Point of View on Citi TV.
He refuted criticism that the government has never been devoted to the struggle against the threat.
The Minister claimed that the government’s defeat in the most recent election was evidence that the policies of the state were working.
“The president, in putting his office on the line, the party suffered heavily in the 2020 election in areas that had illegal mining. They voted against us. That is the risk we took”.
Mr. Acheampong emphasized that, “as we face this issue humanly and squarely, unfortunately, it is being made a matter of politics and it’s so depressing when you try to put your life on the line. This administration is poised to be responsible”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stated in 2017 that he was willing to risk losing his office in the fight against galamsey.
His announcement came in the midst of fresh initiatives including the dispatch of police and military personnel to apprehend illegal miners around the nation and the launch of a community mining program designed to control small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally responsible way.
There have been complaints that the increased activities of illegal miners in various parts of the country are causing the water bodies that were recovering their natural state during the height of the fight against galamsey to become polluted once more.
President Akufo-Addo once more addressed the situation in the media, stating that an open dialogue is required.
Following that, the government organized a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining through the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources. Among other things, this dialogue encouraged the government to strictly enforce the nation’s mining regulations.
Following controversies surrounding the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang, the discussion of whether the government is in charge of the fight has recently been revived.
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