I’m determined to enforce laws against galamsey – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that he is resolute in enforcing the laws on illegal small scale mining (galamsey) in the country.

He said this while delivering a speech at the National Dialogue on Small Scale Mining Wednesday, April 14.

“I am determined to enforce the laws on illegal mining no matter the subject, high or low. I will, however, not act on hearsay or mere allegations without more. I will not hesitate to act though where the evidence is hard before the police.

“And I will do so irrespective of the standing of the person or persons involved. That is the true meaning of equality before the law,” he stressed.

“There are aspects of our national life which are of first subject matters of partisan politics. We must however come to the understanding that small scale mining with the requirement to do away with the illegalities in that sector should be beyond partisan politics.

“Some subjects simply cannot be part of our everyday politicking and I use this forum to insist that illegal small-scale mining and matters relating to it should be one of such issues requiring national efforts,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has said that gaps in Ghana’s laws were exploited to ensure that the galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, who was arrested was freed and subsequently deported,

The Chinese national was arrested in 2017 for her alleged involvement in illegal small scale mining activities (galamsey) at the time the activities had been banned.

Aisha Huang was prosecuted but the Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi and discontinued the trial.

She was deported without being sectioned for her alleged role in galamsey

Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Johnnie Hughes on Monday, April 12 ahead of the national dialogue on galamsey, Mr Ben Aryee, an advisor to the sector minister said explained that this issue was a result of defects in the laws.

“It is true that there were some of those lapses, no doubt. However, the president is so passionate about this that subsequent to that, you will notice that there have been two amendments to the law.

“I will probably say gaps in the law which were exploited by some people and to prevent that from happening, the president has caused two amendments to be made to the law in terms of ACT 900 and subsequently ACT 995.

“When 900 was passed he said no, this is not punitive enough and he caused 995 to be passed. One of the things it does is to say if a foreigner is caught doing illegal mining first and foremost the sanctions will be applied.

“It is expressly stated in the law now before you can be deported.”