Galamsey fight: Government must account for drones purchased - Toni Aubynn

A former Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Toni Aubynn, has called on government to account for drone equipment purchased to aid the fight against illegal mining across the country. In 2017, the former Lands Minister John Peter Amewu said government had invested in drones worth $3 million to help monitor galamsey activities and subsequently eradicate them. But Toni Aubynn argues that although the purchase of the drones “was not useful” at the time, it is now government’s responsibility to inform citizens on how the equipment aided in the said fight. “We should account for it; the drone has done ABCD, definitely it would be flown and it will take some pictures, there’s no doubt about that but what has it done in terms of stopping illegal mining?” Dr. Aubynn quizzed. “If I were the one to measure it [whether the drones caused a financial loss to the state], I would say that it was not useful equipment,” he made this known in an interview with Accra-based JoyNews. The former Minerals Commission boss pointed out that government must re-think its model of purchasing certain equipment for intended purposes. “We should actually look at why we are buying certain equipment; it shouldn’t just be buying it to show we’ve bought drones to fly all over the place. How much does it add to stopping the illegal mining?” he asked. In recent weeks, government has been under intense pressure to clamp down on the galamsey menace which is rapidly destroying water bodies across the country and the environment. MA/FNOQ

A former Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Toni Aubynn, has called on government to account for drone equipment purchased to aid the fight against illegal mining across the country. In 2017, the former Lands Minister John Peter Amewu said government had invested in drones worth $3 million to help monitor galamsey activities and subsequently eradicate them. But Toni Aubynn argues that although the purchase of the drones “was not useful” at the time, it is now government’s responsibility to inform citizens on how the equipment aided in the said fight. “We should account for it; the drone has done ABCD, definitely it would be flown and it will take some pictures, there’s no doubt about that but what has it done in terms of stopping illegal mining?” Dr. Aubynn quizzed. “If I were the one to measure it [whether the drones caused a financial loss to the state], I would say that it was not useful equipment,” he made this known in an interview with Accra-based JoyNews. The former Minerals Commission boss pointed out that government must re-think its model of purchasing certain equipment for intended purposes. “We should actually look at why we are buying certain equipment; it shouldn’t just be buying it to show we’ve bought drones to fly all over the place. How much does it add to stopping the illegal mining?” he asked. In recent weeks, government has been under intense pressure to clamp down on the galamsey menace which is rapidly destroying water bodies across the country and the environment. MA/FNOQ