The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Dwumfour, has challenged all presidential candidates of various political parties to make a public commitment to combat illegal mining, commonly known as ‘galamsey’.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, September 11, Mr Dwumfour outlined several demands that the GJA believes are crucial to ending the canker.
Key among these demands is for the president to declare a state of emergency over water bodies and equip the military to remove anyone found mining in these areas.
Additionally, Mr. Dwumfour called for an immediate cessation of mining activities within 100 meters of rivers and buffer zones, as well as the repeal of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which regulates some mining activities.
He stressed that political parties must show their commitment by publicly endorsing these demands, warning that the nation is at risk of severe environmental degradation if decisive actions are not taken.
“All the presidential candidates of the political parties vying for elections should publicly declare their total support for this crisis response. Failure to do so means you don’t have the nation at heart and you can not lead. This is a challenge to them and we will ensure that they do so,” he said.
According to him, Ghanaians cannot wait until after the elections for the policies outlined in the manifestos of the NPP and National Democratic Congress to be implemented to address the galamsey crisis.
This follows John Mahama’s pledge to deploy Artificial Intelligence to fight illegal mining activities if he is elected president in the 2024 elections.
Dr Bawumia has also pledged to introduce a revised approach to curb illegal mining and preserve confiscated equipment, especially excavators if elected.
However, Dr Ing. Ashigbey said it is important for politicians to acknowledge the galamsey crisis and deal with it decisively.
He criticized politicians for their involvement in illegal mining activities, citing companies such as Akonta Mining and Heritage Imperial, which have evaded accountability despite numerous petitions.
Conversations on galamsey and its dire impact arose after the management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWL) announced severe water supply challenges in Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities due to galamsey activities in the Pra River.
In a press statement signed and issued by the Central Regional Office of GWL on Friday, August 30, it explained that water sources have been polluted beyond reasoning limits, affecting processing and distribution for domestic and industrial use.
It further mentioned that the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plantplant is producing only 7,500m³/day, a quarter of its capacity, causing severe inconvenience to customers.