By Felix Cofie
The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu says government must go after the “big fishes” in the galamsey business, apprehending and prosecuting them instead of only focusing on the youth who go out to seek their daily bread, adding that the ministry of Lands and Natural Resources should develop an alternative livelihood programme to cater for the youth.
He said the root cause of the illegal mining canker, is youth unemployment. He asserted that if the youth in the mining areas are exposed to meaningful and sustainable sources of livelihoods, they would resist the temptation of mining in water bodies and forest reserves.
The Asantehene made these remarks when the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene. The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu commended the Lands Minister for the visit and expressed overwhelming confidence in him to deliver as the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, and urged Heads of Agencies and other officials under his ministry to give him the required support.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah said government is embarking on a mission to reform the mining and forest sub-sectors of the country, and the support and guidance of the Asanthene is extremely important. The sector minister praised the Asantehene for his outstanding and exemplary leadership, which is manifested in the lack of land-related disputes in the Ashanti Region, and made a humble appeal to the Asantehene to share his wisdom and leadership with him as he seeks to transform the lands sector through the execution of innovative and transformative projects.
On the issue of Public Lands, Otumfuo also counselled the Lands Minister to ensure that the phenomenon of the indiscriminate sale of public lands to public officials is halted under his tenure.
He praised the Lands Minister for the aggressive afforestation initiative and pledged his support for the project, citing the Tree for Life initiative as laudable.
On the matter of illegal mining, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah, commended Otumfuo for some major interventions he has made in the past and appealed for support for him and the government as they chart a new path which he is convinced will lead to a complete turnaround in the situation.
He decried the devastating impact of galamsey on the country, noting that forty-four (44) of the country’s Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight (288) forest reserves have been devastated by galamsey activities, with the turbidity level of the country’s major water bodies moving from 5,000 NTU to 12000.
Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah emphasized the urgency of the situation, and outline some immediate and radical initiatives taken by the government to address the problem.
The measures include the establishment of an 18-member committee of experts, to review the licensing regime, reclassification of the mining categories, and overhauling of the Community Mining Scheme among others.
“We are very grateful for Otumfou’s advice and support for the reset agenda that we’ve embarked on. We’ve laid out a plan to deal with key initiatives, and it started with the inauguration of the 18-member working committee. We are also reclassifying the mining categories and introducing medium-scale mining,” he indicated.
On his part, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, thanked Otumfuo for his support and advice and assured that he would work with his colleague Ministers to deal with the galamsey menace.
Earlier, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah, joined the Ministers of Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed–Mubarak, Defence, Hon. Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah and the Ashanti Regional Minister to tour the Afari Military Hospital, which was commenced by the Mahama led government in 2014 but stalled under the President Akufo-Addo administration.
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