We’ll expose politicians, chiefs involved in galamsey – Small-scale miners

Members of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners have said that the Association is ready to expose politicians, chiefs and anyone who engaged in illegal small-scale mining popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, nobody is above the law and should go unpunished when they go contrary to the law.

Speaking at a press conference, Secretary to the association, Godwin Armah, said: The president [Nana Akufo-Addo] said we should be citizens and not spectators, we shouldn’t sit on the fence. The law is clear, if you want to do mining, get the required licences and then you operate, so, if you’re a politician and you go in illegally, it is not because you’re a politician the law will deal with you differently, the association will ensure that we expose any politician or any traditional person who operates illegally or who supports illegality in the mining space.

“If a politician used to be a small-scale miner, I don’t think the law is against that; once the person goes through and has the requisite licence and operating at the area that has been designated for him to operate, there is nothing illegal about that but if the person is doing it without the licence, that is where we would ensure that we do the necessary checks and expose the person.”

Mr Armah also added that the small-scale mining association is ready to work with government on its road map towards lifting the ban on small-scale mining operations in December this year.

The Akufo-Addo-led government issued a ban on all small-scale mining activities in 2017 to curb the destruction of the county’s land and water resources.

After a series of agitations, government assured the miners that the ban will be lifted in December.