The National House of Chiefs has reiterated its call for the government to take far-reaching measures to comprehensively clamp down on the menace of illegal mining.
The House has also stressed the need for all stakeholders to be involved in the fight against illegal mining, devoid of politics.
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, made the statement during a meeting in Kumasi, where officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were invited to brainstorm on finding lasting solutions to the issue.
The President of the National House of Chiefs used the occasion to highlight the significant role chiefs have to play in addressing illegal mining in Ghana.
“This meeting is long overdue, but it is better now than later because I strongly believe that if Nananom are included and empowered in the fight against galamsey, we can be assured of more effective results. Illegal mining has resulted in environmental degradation, including deforestation, pollution of water bodies and rivers, and soil erosion. Illegal miners also use toxic chemicals and heavy metals including cyanide, mercury, sulphuric acid, and lead, which have negative effects on individuals and must therefore be stopped.
Reacting to this, the Chief Executive Officer of the EPA, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, said since the approach of using the military to fight the canker has not been successful, collaborating with traditional authorities will be the game-changer.
“We do know that governments upon governments have taken steps over the years to initiate several policies and programs in an attempt to curb illegal mining including the use of the military and other security agencies, but it seems not to be getting results, so this encounter is to solicit the wisdom of nananom to help us deliver on what we are targeting in the fight against illegal mining.”
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Meanwhile, Joshua Makubu, the Oti Regional Minister, has expressed concern over the frequent illegal exportation of cocoa beans from the region to neighbouring countries.
He noted that this contributes to the underdevelopment of major roads.
He voiced these concerns at a community sensitization program in Likpe on Thursday, which focused on boundary reaffirmation between Ghana and Togo.The minister called on chiefs in the Likpe area to caution residents against illegal exports.
Mr. Makubu also mentioned that cocoa production has declined, and the benefits intended for the development of cocoa roads have been delayed.
He emphasized that this delay should not be blamed on the government.
“There is a menace that is dragging us back as far as cocoa production in the Oti region is concerned. In 2019, we used to price about 8000 tonnes of cocoa. As we speak, the Oti region is even struggling to produce 100 tonnes. Not because our trees are not yielding, but because whatever cocoa we produce is smuggled out of the country. This is affecting our revenues and our development, including the cocoa roads.
“So each time you are taking cocoa across the boundaries of Ghana and you see any road untarred under the Cocoa Road project, you should know that we have done it for ourselves and not that the government is not interested. I want to encourage Nananom to talk to our brothers and sisters to see to it that this exercise is stopped so that we can build it together and enjoy it together,” he said.
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