By Maltiti Sayida Sadick
Speaking on The Scoop on GTV Breakfast, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor says the government is not shielding politicians who engage in illegal mining in the country.
According to the minister, Ghana has prosecutorial laws governing illegal mineral extraction, so any politician or government official who engages in galamsey will face the full rigors of the law.
Speaking with Maltiti Sayida Sadick on GTV Breakfast Show, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, who doubles as the MP for Damongo, said fighting galamsey is a priority for the government due to its devastation of Ghana’s water bodies and the threat to livelihoods.
He said undoubtedly mineral revenue is a great pillar for government expenditure in development, and as of last year, Ghana made some 1.7 billion dollars as gold revenue for the country, which supports national development.
He added that illegal miners are often arrested and prosecuted, and foreigners engaging in galamsey are also bound by the mining laws of the land.
The Minister was speaking on the sidelines of an interview on the rollout of Ghana’s Green Ghana Day, which is marked in June of every year to plant seedlings to recover Ghana’s depleting vegetation cover brought upon by human and natural activities.
