The fight against galamsey (illegal mining) is being intensified as the government teams up with the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ghana Airforce (Western Command) to repair some specialised aircraft to undertake intelligence, surveillance and recognisance of areas where illegal mining is still ongoing.
Mr. George Mireku Duker, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in charge of Mines, who inspected the three aircraft at the Takoradi Air Force Base on Friday, said they had been out of service since 2014.
The repair work, being funded by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, is estimated to cost 700,000 Euros and would be completed in six months.
“This is an effort we are making to clampdown on recalcitrant miners who are determined to destroy our industry. We want to streamline and regulate activities in the mining sector,” he said.
Mr. Duker expressed the belief that repairing the aircraft was a cost-effective measure to facilitate the fight against “galamsey” as against procuring new drones and other equipment for mining surveillance.
Servicing the aircraft would see the replacement of crashes, hard drives, outdated softwares and engines, among other things.
Mr. Duker commended the Chamber of Mines for its immeasurable and patriotic effort towards the fight against illegal mining and lauded the Ghana Armed Forces for its support.
Source: GNA
