Illegal mining remains a significant challenge in Ghana, with successive governments tasked with addressing the issue.
Despite initiatives like the previous administration's "Operation Halt," led by the Ghana Armed Forces to eliminate illegal mining in water bodies, the problem persists.
Alarming reports from the Ghana Water Company Limited in August 2024 revealed a severe decline in water quality.
Turbidity levels at the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant spiked to an unprecedented 14,000 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), far exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) permissible level of 5 NTU.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security, Nana Amoasi VII, called on President John Dramani Mahama to take immediate action against illegal mining. Representing various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), he urged the President to issue a decisive directive to halt all illegal mining activities.
"Issue a bold directive to halt all illegal mining activities immediately to deter those who defy the law," Nana Amoasi VII said.
He emphasised the importance of empowering district and regional security councils to enforce the ban at the local level, ensuring that illegal miners are deterred from continuing their operations.
The CSOs also appealed to President Mahama to fast-track the prosecution of illegal miners.
They also urged the Attorney-General to collaborate with the Chief Justice to establish a special court dedicated to expediting cases related to illegal mining.
Additionally, Nana Amoasi VII called for the repeal of the Environmental Protection Mining in Forest Reserves Regulation 2022 (L.I 2462) and the enhancement of enforcement measures under existing mining laws.
“These actions are crucial to protecting the country’s forests, rivers, and farmlands,” he stated.
He also expressed the readiness of the CSOs to work with the government in addressing issues in the extractive and environmental sectors for the benefit of national development.
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