Actress Kafui Danku Calls For Urgent Action To Address Illegal Mining In Ghana
Actress Kafui Danku has expressed concern over the devastating effects of illegal mining, also known as ‘galamsey’, on the environment and human health in the country.
The actress, who also serves as a movie producer, expressed her views following a report by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, which alleged that some influential government appointees are involved in illegal mining.
Kafui Danku noted that illegal mining is destroying water bodies, plants, and lands usable for farming in Ghana, and failure to stop the illegal activity will pose a great challenge to citizens.
She emphasized that people living in the affected areas will have issues with safe drinking water and not have enough farms for farming, leading to severe consequences for the environment and public health.
In a Facebook post, Kafui shared a video of a river that had been destroyed by illegal mining, stating that the situation is getting worse and the quality of people’s health is at stake.
Her post reads, “We’re taking this lightly and it’s getting worse by the day. I’m sure we all are aware of the severe consequences of illegal mining activities on our environment. Charley, the quality of our health is at stake! Months ago I couldn’t believe what I saw when I was landing in Takoradi”
Video of an alleged river spotted by Kafui Danku
The actress called on the government to take urgent action to address the problem, expressing her disappointment that the environment and people’s well-being seemed to be ignored in the face of rampant illegal mining activities.
Illegal mining has been a major issue in Ghana, with recent reports by the media indicating that the practice has led to the destruction of several rivers, including River Ankobra, River Bia, River Pra, and River Tano, among others.
The government has taken several steps to eradicate illegal mining, but the problem persists due to the high demand for gold and other precious minerals.