The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission says the activities of illegal mining in the country, popularly known as galamsey, is not over.
Martin Kwaku Ayisi said the menace cannot be ended anytime soon.
Even though Mr Ayisi will not admit that the government has failed in ending the canker, he said he understands the anger expressed by the citizenry. According to him, the activities of illegal mining in the country is a big problem that must be dealt with urgently.
“I will be the first just as my minister, to say that galamsey is not over. But I will not say we have failed. I can understand the outrage and anger being expressed by Ghanaians.
“When people switch on their televisions and see that waterbody that looks like apple juice or milo, that is their anger and I understand them,” he said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, May 6.
The issue of the galamsey canker has come to the front burner recently following the controversial report by the former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
Prof Frimpong-Boateng cites persons in government who he accuses of frustrating his effort to fight galamsey when he was Environment Minister.
“Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the President’s commitment to protecting the environment.
“I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the national to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers, or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them.
“I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do.
“There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace,” excerpts of the document said.
While some of the persons he mentioned in the report have denied any wrongdoing, many in the public believe the galamsey fight is a lost cause.
