The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has urged regional ministers to intensify the fight against illegal mining in their jurisdictions.
The Minister made the call on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 during extensive engagements with regional ministers to review ongoing efforts at dealing with the canker of illegal small-scale mining.
The minister said, “Regional Ministers, alongside their respective Regional Security Councils (REGSEC) have been mandated to intensify enforcement actions within their various jurisdictions to contain incidents of illegal small-scale mining.”
In a statement released by the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, it indicated that the meeting, held at the instance of the Minister for Lands adopted additional measures at tackling the age-old national problem of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) through a comprehensive approach.
The statement also said that the government will continue with the dual strategy of reformative measures and strict enforcement.
Additionally, the release noted that the Minerals Commission will enhance our reformative efforts, particularly through ramping up the establishment of responsible and legal community mining schemes, which have regard to the preservation of our nation’s environment and landscape.
However, the ministry has reiterated that the government remains steadfast and committed to continuing to restore order and ensure that mining activities are conducted sustainably and legally in the national interest.
As a result, they entreated all and sundry to support these efforts to enable them to protect the environment, preserve water bodies, and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
The ministry’s statement urged that discourse on galamsey should be devoid of partisanship so as to enable them to galvanise the needed national and collective support to root out this canker.
