Stop small-scale mining, galamsey activities for 6 months to enable water bodies recover – NGOs in health tell Mahama

The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health is calling on the newly elected government to include the fight against illegal mining (Galamsey) in its resetting Ghana agenda.

Among other recommendations, it wants the yet to be sworn in government to consider halting all galamsey and illegal mining activities from January to June to serve as a recovery period.

In an interview with Connect News during its 18th Annual Civil Society Health Forum at Akroma Plaza Hotel on Thursday, 19th December 2024, the National Chairman of the GCNH, Bright Amissah-Nyarkoh, highlighted some adverse effects illegal mining activities are having on residents in mining communities.

According to him, one of the major effects is the contamination of most of the water bodies across the country and called on the newly elected Mahama led administration to make it a priority to end the menace while recommending possible solutions.

“The government should create room for recovery. So, for the next 6 months ahead of us, starting from January, we expect to see the government halt all small scale and galamsey activities. So, by the 6th month, we are hopeful that the water bodies will recover their situation, and we might have had some good proposals in place as to how we can do small-scale mining in Ghana.”

He also proposed the introduction of alternative livelihood programmes, screening and diagnosis assessment for small scale miners and residents within the mining communities.

“We are also looking at how we can establish significant jobs that will attract these illegal miners so that they move from there and leave the land healthy for us. And then we are looking at how government can support women and children, the vulnerable population, to be able to go for diagnosis and screening to establish the situation of their organs and the mercury component in them so that they can receive early treatment.

Some traditional leaders from the western region who shared their opinion on the state of illegal mining in their areas debunked the talk that they are the ones who willingly give out their lands for it.

They said most of the time, authorities they do not know enter their forests, destroy the vegetation, and leave them to bear the devastating outcome.

Queen Mother of the Upper Axim traditional area, Obaahemaa Eza Nkrumah recounted, “Sometimes, people put the blame on us Nananom, but we don’t know anything about it. We will be there and they will come and present a letter and say it is an order from above, head office. They will enter the forest and engage in galamsey, which goes against our constitution. What is going on in Ghana is very serious, but we complain about it, and they don’t mind.”

In response to the plea of the traditional leaders for support, council member of the GCNH, Dr. Nii Nortey Hanson-Nortey told Connect News that they are going to rally all their members to talk to the various stakeholders to ensure that mining is done properly in Ghana.

“We call on all stakeholders. Please mining can be done in a civil and proper way without contaminating the water bodies. The Coalition of NGOs in Health is going to work and make the necessary move. We are going to rally our members around the country and ensure that we talk to all the relevant stakeholders to make sure that mining is done in Ghana properly and not affecting the environment.”

By Samuel Adams

The post Stop small-scale mining, galamsey activities for 6 months to enable water bodies recover – NGOs in health tell Mahama first appeared on 3News.

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