A climate advocacy group, Youth in National Resources and Environmental Governance Platform (Youth-NREG), has urged the government to take decisive action against the rampant illegal mining activities known locally as “galamsey.”
This growing menace has caused significant environmental degradation, particularly affecting the country’s water bodies.
The call for action comes amidst rising concerns from professional groups, unions, associations, and religious organisations, the media, all of which have been vocal about the urgent need for a comprehensive response to the illegal mining crisis.
The group in its statement called for immediate government intervention to hold perpetrators accountable and mitigate the extensive damage caused by illegal miners.
The group emphasised that the government is responsible for enforcing existing laws and ensuring the restoration of devastated ecosystems.
“The Government of Ghana on the other hand has the ultimate responsibility in enforcing existing laws, holding accountable those responsible for this environmental destruction and ensuring the restoration of the ecosystems that have been devastated,” part of the statement read.
Youth-NREG also outlined several specific demands aimed at curbing the destructive practices associated with galamsey:
1. Stop all forms of illegal mining activities with immediate effect.
and regulations.
2. Suspend temporarily all legal mining activities to comprehensively review and enforce existing policies
3. Cancel all prospective mining contracts and/or licenses.
4. Ensure that all companies and individuals involved in or found guilty of irresponsible mining and the destruction of forest reserves or water bodies are surcharged and are made to bear the cost of restoring the damaged ecosystems.
5. Clearly make budgetary allocations from the national budget to support the District or Municipal Assemblies in fighting galamsey or irresponsible mining.
6. With immediate effect repeal LI2462 which we find very destructive to our environment and future.
7. Collaborate closely with community leaders, media and civil society organizations to improve surveillance, monitoring, and enforcement across the country’s forest reserves and rivers.
8. Present a blueprint of pragmatic livelihood alternatives for young people involved in irresponsible or illegal mining activities.
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