A former General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has cautioned politicians to be mindful of their public remarks on illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
According to Rev. Opuni-Frimpong, some of their comments appear to justify the challenges posed by galamsey in Ghana.
He criticised the contradictory statements from some government officials, cautioning that they could be perceived as disregarding the public’s concerns.
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“Some of our Ministers of State must be a bit mindful of their statements. Some of their statements are hurting and are very contradictory. If I hear a minister saying if not for mining, the dollar would have been GH¢25 … the more some of them talk like this in public, it suggests that they are taking us for granted. In fact, some are even saying as for mining we won’t stop,” he said.
His comment follows a statement by the CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Sulemanu Koney, who argued that the mining sector plays an important role in stabilising the local currency, suggesting that without it, the cedi could have depreciated further, possibly to ¢25 to $1.
This view aligns with other political figures, including the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Effiduase Asokore, Dr Ayew Afriyie, who recently stated that the government has no intention of banning galamsey, either today or in the foreseeable future.
In this regard, Rev. Opuni-Frimpong urged the public not to ease up on their protest in raising awareness about the detrimental effects of galamsey.
He emphasised the need to maintain pressure on the government to address the issue, stating that the harmful effects of galamsey on the environment must not be overlooked.
“We must not give an inch; we must all go out to let the government know that we are serious. They are hurting us,” he declared.