The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Akufo-Addo has admonished that the fight against the illegal small-scale mining should go beyond partisan politics.
Addressing stakeholders present at the National Dialogue on Small-scale Mining, he said it’s crucial that the deliberations of the consultative dialogue be guided and be devoid of partisanship or narrowed paroquial interest.
“We must however understand that small-scale miners need to meet the requirement to do away with the illegalities;and this fight should be beyond partisan politics. Some subjects simply cannot be part of our everyday politicking. The illegal small-scale mining and matters relating to it should be one of such issues.”
President Akufo-Addo
The President then expressed hope that, the aftermath of the meeting will enable stakeholders to;build a broad-based national consensus around the necessity to stamp out the menace of illegal small-scale mining; and the need to support and grow responsible small-scale mining.
Nana Akufo-Addo further revealed he is determined to enforce the law on illegal mining matters regardless of persons involved. He then cautioned that his actions will not be based on here says or mere allegations without the law.
“I will not hesitate to act unless the evidence is hard before the police. And I will do so irrespective of the stand of the person or the personalities involved.”
President Akufo-Addo
In this regard he indicated that the reason for him calling for the national dialogue is to enable all;to have a consensus on the mining issues in the country. This, he explained is due to the fact that, the nation cannot have one part of the political divide;“campaigning for it in the bush and the other waging an official fight against ‘Galamsey’.”
Demonstrate love for our lands
The President then urged all to demonstrate their love for the land and should be capable of protecting it. He then stated that the nation does not need foreigners or special interest groups to campaign for the protection of Ghanaian lands.
“We, the Ghanaian people, must be its best protectors. I have confidence on the integrity of the people gathered in this room;and I am sure a workable blue print will be produced.”
President Akufo-Addo
Touching on job creation, he averred that mining was a great job creation avenue in the country and also a source of income for the livelihood of some families in the mining communities. However, he posited that mining activities cannot and must not be done at the expense of damaging the very environment that produces the riches.
“We must adapt to co-exist in peace and harmony with nature. This is the time to help rejuvenate our land, the time to take a careful look at how we use the land. The time to revisit our farming and building practices.
“Now is the time to address the issue of ‘Galamsey’. I have said it on many occasions and it is worth repeating, the almighty has blessed us with precious minerals in our land. It is not surprising therefore that mining has always been part of our lives.”
President Akufo-Addo
He further noted that there is nothing wrong with mining or trying to exploit minerals but it becomes problematic when methods implored pose a danger to the land and the very lives of the people.
“Mining becomes a danger to the society when after extracting the gold, diamonds and other stones and minerals, the land is left degraded.”
President Akufo-Addo
