Stay away from galamsey - Speaker warns MPs

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has directed all 276 Members of Parliament (MPs) to stay clear of illegal mining or be prepared to face the law.

Mr Bagbin stressed that galamsey was an existential threat to humanity and that Parliament would not shield any MP who was found to be involved in or facilitating that environmental crime.

“Let me be unequivocal in stating that Parliament will not tolerate any MP, regardless of your position, who is found to be complicit in destructive mining activities. We are not going to countenance it at all, and I mean what I say,” he stressed.

The Speaker added that as lawmakers, MPs must not “preach accountability and integrity to the nation while turning a blind eye to the destruction of the environment by persons within their rank.” 
 

Conference

He gave the directive at the closing session of a one-day conference on the restoration culture of proper mining organised for MPs in Accra yesterday.

The conference was held on the theme: "Restoring a Culture of Proper Small-scale Mining in Ghana."

It brought together MPs, officials from state agencies under the land, water, agriculture, and environment sectors, civil society organisations (CSOs) and researchers to explore workable approaches to decisively halt galamsey.

The conference was in furtherance of the current government's commitment to rally all stakeholders and adopt a multi-pronged approach to tackle the excesses of galamsey.

Walking the talk

The Speaker said galamsey thrived because the larger society approved of it on grounds of it being a livelihood issue.

He said MPs had a sacred duty to ensure that the resources in their constituencies were managed responsibly for the benefit of current and future generations.

”As we leave this conference, let us carry with us a renewed sense of purpose and be champions of responsible mining in our communities. Let us educate our communities to support sustainable practices and work collaboratively to eliminate the menace of environmentally destructive mining,” he said.

Mr Bagbin added that the previous government failed to deal with the menace because there was no proper prescription.

“This government cannot fail.

If this happens, it will lead to hopelessness because people have given us a huge trust and they are hopeful that we will find a solution to this critical national crisis,” he stressed.

He said the fight against illegal mining was not for the minister alone or the government but a collective effort, “and the solution is not too far if we work together.”

Mr Bagbin gave a firm assurance that Parliament was resolutely behind the government in the galamsey fight and would provide the necessary legislation and oversight duty to ensure that the battle was won. 

Potential

The Speaker said the illegal mining crisis the country currently found itself in was an opportunity to turn things around for a robust mining sector, particularly in the artisanal small-scale mining sector.

He observed that if the necessary reforms were introduced to deal with galamsey and responsible mining, there was the potential to uplift the communities, create sustainable jobs and contribute significantly to the economy.

“There is the need to learn global best practices to deal with the galamsey menace rather than the ultimate use of brute force,” he added.

Action

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the government would go to any length to ensure that the fight against illegal mining was won.

He said barely a month after taking office, he had taken urgent steps to halt illegal mining operations in some parts of the country, particularly in forest reserves.

For instance, he said a fact-finding visit to some forest reserves had shown that 44 out of the 288 forest reserves in the country had been totally destroyed by illegal miners.

"We have fought hard, with the support of the military, to save one of the forest reserves and will continue to salvage the others," he stressed.

Mr Buah added that he was currently collaborating with related ministries and state agencies, including the Defence, Interior, Environment, Science, and Technology (MEST) ministries, to clamp down on galamsey.

He said within the one-month operations that had been carried out, 14 foreigners engaged in galamsey had been arrested and were being taken through legal processes.

The minister stressed that the necessary steps would be taken to ensure that foreigners who were caught mining illegally were dealt with according to the law.

"Ghana is open to investors in the mining sector but we do not need investors who will kill us. We are sending out this message clearly," he stressed.