Give us clear actionable plans for combating illegal mining - AGI to political parties

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has demanded actionable plans from the government and all political parties running for the December 7, 2024 general election to combat illegal mining, commonly called galamsey in the country.

Even though the two main political parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have made their plans known in their respective manifestos on galamsey, the association explained that a clear actionable plan would help prioritise long-term sustainability solutions, rather than short-term gains being pursued in the fight against illegal mining and its impact on the environment.

The President of AGI, Dr Humphrey Ayim-Darke, who made this known at the opening of a three-day industrial summit in Accra yesterday, stated that the association was committed to advocating the enforcement of regulations and laws that promote responsible mining and social protection.

“We urge the government to act swiftly to address this growing menace and call on all political parties to present clear actionable plans in their manifestos to combat the menace.

“We cannot ignore the detriment of the effects of galamsey on our environment and agricultural productivity.

“The devastating impact of these activities extends far beyond environmental degradation, threatening the livelihood of farmers and national food security,” he said.

The summit

The Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition (GISE), 2024, on the theme: "Promoting value chains for competitive industrial development", was organised by the AGI, in partnership with the Volta River Authority (VRA) and other collaborators.

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, noted that the EU was consistently Ghana's second trade partner with a trade exchange value of around €6 billion in 2023.

He said the country exported €2.4 billion worth of products to the EU, and imported €3.5 billion worth of mainly transformed goods.

He said Ghana's political context and the regional situation made it an attractive investment destination.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, stated that various strategic anchor industries were being promoted to reinforce forward-and-backwards linkages that expand the industrial base.

For instance, he said a vigorous promotion of the automotive assembly would drive automotive and parts manufacturing, which in turn enhance demand for products of iron, steel and aluminium.

He said similarly, the growth and diversification of pharmaceutical manufacturing could create market opportunities for industrial starch, salt-based industrial chemicals and to some extent, vegetable fats and oils.