Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings storms Osino galamsey site, demands urgent action

The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has called for urgent action to clamp down on illegal mining activities at Osino in the Eastern Region, describing the destruction of the environment as unacceptable.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings made the call during a visit to an illegal mining site at Osino as part of her tour of the Eastern Region to assess environmental challenges and ongoing efforts to address the impact of illegal mining.

She was accompanied by Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and other officials of the Authority.

Expressing frustration over the continued destruction of the environment, the minister questioned why individuals responsible for extensive environmental damage often appeared to escape punishment.

“I'm not quite sure what word to use but it's really upsetting. You know, we're in a country where someone steals a goat and the person ends up in jail. And you have people causing this level of devastation, poisoning our waters, destroying the environment. And they're just constantly getting away,” she said.

‘Buuuuulu’- Anger as netizens blast NDC Communicator over ‘he’s a rapist, so what?’ comment

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed the need for stronger enforcement of environmental laws, insisting that individuals involved in illegal mining must be held accountable for their actions.

“We need to really clamp down on the enforcement side of things,” she emphasised.

She noted that the continued destruction of water bodies and land through illegal mining undermines efforts to protect the country's natural resources and restore degraded areas.

The minister also highlighted the need for equal enforcement of environmental standards, arguing that Ghana must hold its citizens to the same standards expected of foreign mining companies operating in the country.

According to her, the government invests significant resources in reclaiming degraded lands, remediating polluted areas and undertaking reforestation, making it unacceptable for individuals to continue destroying the environment through illegal mining.

“We've just come from a mine where a lot of money is being spent on reclamation, remediation of the land, on reafforestation. And if as a country we expect this of foreigners when they come and mine in our country, we must put ourselves to the same standard,” she stated.

She further insisted that nobody should be exempt from the law, regardless of their status or influence.

“No one must be exempt. No one is above the law. And certainly no one should think that it is their right to destroy the environment like this and get rid of it,” Dr Agyeman-Rawlings added.

Outlining the next steps following the visit, the minister disclosed that she and the EPA chief executive would engage the minister responsible for lands, as well as national security officials, to address the continued illegal mining activities at the site.

She explained that the area was supposed to be undergoing reclamation, yet illegal miners continued to encroach on the land and carry out their activities.

She later paid a visit to the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, to express her displeasure over the alarming state of illegal mining and the extent of environmental destruction caused by the activities.

During the visit, she called on the minister to urgently introduce alternative solutions and effective measures to address the growing menace and prevent further environmental degradation.

In response, the Eastern Regional Minister assured her that all necessary steps would be taken to tackle the menace and protect the region's natural resources from further destruction.

AM

Inside Ghana’s Abandoned Engineering Powerhouse: What Went Wrong?