File photo of a galamsey site
The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Yofi Grant has expressed that there is a lot to be done about the issue of illegal mining but not just the responsibility of the government to fight against it.
The Ghana Water Limited’s (GWL) statement issued in August over the turbidity of Ghana’s water moved citizens’ attention to the pressing issue of illegal mining, popularly called galamsey.
The GWL announced that it was incapable of supplying water to some parts of Cape Coast due to pollution of the surrounding water sources caused by illegal mining activities.
Though this was not the first time the GWL had raised galamsey as a major threat to its operations, the statement served as a facilitator, prompting citizens, civil society, and religious organizations to intensify their voices to battle the illegal mining menace.
Speaking on Starr Chat with Bola Ray, Mr. Yofi Grant said galamsey cannot be fought by just the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government but the entire country is responsible for fighting the menace.
“We are all responsible, whether it’s party A or party B. It’s not an activity that one party has gone to motivate or not motivate it has been there for quite a while.
“We all recognize that it’s not a good thing to do. It’s not just about that. So it’s not one that we should throw a thing that it’s a political solution no, it’s a national solution that needs to be done,” he explained.
Mr. Grant said there is a need to educate illegal miners on the negative side of their actions and orient them on how to mine without polluting the water bodies.
He also suggested that there should be a new economy that will reward them just as much as the galamsey is doing.
Mr. Grant further stated that he wished illegal mining would stop since mercury and cyanide used in mining polluted the water bodies and killed people.
He expressed worry over the fact that the people involved do not care about the side effects of it since that is the source of their income.