‘NPP mounting pressure on Akufo-Addo to lift ban on small-scale mining

Some members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have mounted pressure on President Akufo-Addo to lift the more than one year old ban on small scale, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central has alleged.

According to Mr Agypapong, the NPP members have argued the party was losing popularity in mining areas across the country and could be detrimental to their electoral fortunes in 2020 if the ban was not lifted.

Following the massive destruction of forest reserves and contamination of many water bodies across the country as a result of small-scale mining mainly due to the involvement of illegal operators commonly referred to as 'galamsey [gather and sell], President Akufo-Addo placed a ban on all forms of small-scale mining in March 2017.

The move was to enable the government to streamline the activities of small-scale minings so as to be able to get rid of illegal miners and protest water bodies.

The government has since made public a roadmap for lifting the ban.

But speaking in a radio interview on Accra based Asempa FM's Ekosii Sen programme on Tuesday afternoon, the maverick Kennedy Agyapong urged President Akufo-Addo not to bow to pressure.

In his view, it is better to save the water bodies and lands for posterity than to lift the ban on small-scale mining.

“I know NPP members are putting pressure on President Akufo-Addo to lift the ban on small-scale mining but I will encourage him to be firm. It is better to do one term and save our lands and water bodies” he stated.

The outspoken Assin Central MP maintained that there was no difference between small-scale and illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey and as such lifting the ban will be a recipe for disaster.

Ken Agyapong appealed to party members to put the interest of Ghana first than partisan interest.

credit: Adomonline