Mahama draws more fire over 'galamsey propaganda'

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has condemned former President John Dramani Mahama for his criticisms of President Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration’s handling of the illegal mining menace in the country.

Ex-President Mahama had told supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the use of soldiers to fight illegal mining – popularly called galamsey – would not yield results.

In an address at the NDC’s ‘unity walk’ in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, on Saturday, Mr. Mahama described the government’s approach in the anti-galamsey campaign as counterproductive.

“It is true that if we don’t do something about it, it will destroy the environment. But we need to apply wisdom because we’ve chased young people involved in illegal small-scale mining with soldiers in the past in this country; but it didn’t work,” Mr Mahama had said.

But in a statement issued and signed by its acting chief director to ‘set the records straight,’ the Lands and Natural Resources’ Ministry indicated, “The former president’s statements at the event were nothing but inciting small-scale miners to resort to lawlessness.”

It continued, “The ministry has been compelled to set the records straight in view of the rather distasteful comments made by the immediate past president of this country, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, over illegal small-scale mining or galamsey at the so-called NDC unity walk in Kumasi over the last weekend.”

The ministry explained that the current government, led by President Akufo-Addo, “has a well thought-out plan to resolve the massive destruction caused to our forests, land and river bodies, through illegal mining/galamsey as well as illegal logging in the eight years of the NDC regime.”



According to the statement, the Multi-Sectoral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP), which is the ministry’s vehicle to deal effectively and holistically with issues affecting the small-scale mining industry, will be launched soon by the president.

The project, it said, has five key but broad components which include, revision and enforcement of the legal and regulatory regime for artisanal small-scale mining, reclamation of degraded lands, dredging of silted estuaries and waterways and free lands for agribusiness, implementation of social interventions to facilitate sustainable livelihood creation in mining communities, adoption of technology to ensure efficient mining, processing and environmental monitoring activities and capacity building of small-scale miners, regulatory institutions and effective project management.

It stressed, “Even before the launch of the MMIP and the subsequent lifting of the ban on small-scale mining, the ministry has outlined a clear roadmap detailing the following: launching of the Project Appraisal and Implementation Document (PAID) to herald the commencement of the project implementation; vetting of small-scale mining licences to determine the genuine licence holders and the scope of their concessions; provision of alternative livelihoods in affected mining areas, among others.”