Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and different stakeholders within the environmental sector have supported the decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for an open and dispassionate dialog on the way in which ahead within the combat in opposition to unlawful mining (galamsey).
They’ve, nevertheless, stated for the hassle to yield the specified outcomes, the Minerals Fee and different mandated state establishments have to be resourced and made extra unbiased to guide the combat, as an alternative of leaving it within the fingers of partisan committees.
The organisations, which embrace Arocha Ghana, Inexperienced Advocacy Ghana, the Ghana Nationwide Affiliation of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) and the Media Coalition In opposition to Galamsey, claimed that though President Akufo-Addo had demonstrated sufficient dedication to combat the menace over the previous 4 years, his political appointees who spearheaded the combat had failed him.
In separate interviews with the Each day Graphic in Accra yesterday, the organisations unanimously referred to as for the retooling of state establishments such because the Minerals Fee, the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) and the Water Useful resource Fee (WRC) to successfully execute their respective mandates.
Additionally they stated a multi-faceted governance technique involving civil society organisations (CSOs), conventional rulers, technocrats within the mining sector and different stakeholders wanted to be concerned to help state establishments to combat the menace
President’s name
In his final State of the Nation Deal with to Parliament to finish his first four-year tenure in Accra final Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo stated he was opened to frank and apolitical discussions on the best way to take care of the galamsey menace.
He stated the time had come to take the discourse on preventing galamsey past get together politics, including: “There may be one topic about which I consider we, the individuals, must have an open dialog about, and that’s galamsey.”
“We’ve got to speak about galamsey. We, who’re leaders, owe it to the nation to take the topic out of the get together political area and have an sincere dialog about this menace,” he stated.
Challenges
The Chief Govt Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Telecoms Chamber, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, who was the convener of the Media Coalition In opposition to Galamsey, stated though the galamsey combat began on a very good word, some political actors “blackmailed the President and tousled the scenario”.
“The decision by the President is definitely a concession that partisanship derailed the galamsey combat; so it can be crucial that, going ahead, we carry on board CSOs, chiefs {and professional} our bodies to combat the menace,” he stated.
In response to Mr Ashigbey, regulatory our bodies within the mining sector, particularly the Minerals Fee, wanted to be made extra unbiased, other than efforts to make sure transparency within the award of concessions to keep away from politicians taking up the system.
“There must be extra transparency within the award of concessions as a result of we have to know who owns which concession.
“There are nonetheless unresolved points, comparable to lacking excavators and the Charles Bissiw and Ekow Ewusi case. These have to be correctly investigated and never swept below the carpet,” he added.
The deputy nationwide director of Arocha Ghana, Mr Daryl Bonsu, stated the decision by President Akufo-Addo was a affirmation of a long-held declare by a piece of the general public that partisanship was the bane to profitable the warfare in opposition to the menace.
“The President put his Presidency on the road and made a agency dedication to combat galamsey. He began very effectively by establishing Operation Vanguard, the Interministerial committee on Unlawful Mining (IMCIM) and different interventions, however from 2019, political interference, which turned so evident, eroded the positive aspects made.
“We have been very near chopping the pinnacle of the dragon, however we’re upset that, after spending a lot assets, we did not win the combat due to political interference,” he stated.
Mr Bonsu cited what he referred to as Govt interference within the work of the Minerals Fee and associated companies, in addition to the establishing of the IMCIM with out illustration from CSOs, conventional rulers and different stakeholders, as the rationale for the comparatively low end result within the galamsey combat.
Alternative
The CEO of Inexperienced Advocacy Ghana, Mr Yaw Amofa-Osei, stated though the federal government did not leverage the goodwill of the individuals to combat the menace, there was nonetheless a window of alternative to make amends.
He stated metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) have been central to the combat in opposition to the menace.
“MMDAs are essential to environmental governance as a result of they’re on the bottom to implement native legal guidelines,” Mr Amofa-Osei stated.
For his half, the Basic Secretary of GNASSM, Mr Godwin Armah, opined that the decision by the President meant the technique adopted by the federal government had failed, saying: “It was left within the fingers of politicians, however now it’s clear, from what the President stated, that we have to have a look at native options to the issue at hand.”
“If half of the assets that got to the IMCIM had been made obtainable to the Minerals Fee, it will have executed effectively and given us higher outcomes,” he stated.
