The former National Best Farmer and Nkosuohene of the Anwomaso Traditional Area in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region, Nana Kwaku Siaw, has stated that the government’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, will only yield results if chiefs and landowners involved in the practice are arrested and held accountable.
Speaking to journalists, the CEO of Kumah Farms and Training Centre commended the ongoing efforts by the government led by President John Dramani Mahama to clamp down on illegal mining, but stressed that the campaign would fail unless traditional leaders who sell or lease lands to illegal miners are also investigated.
According to Nana Siaw, many chiefs and landowners have contributed to the destruction of Ghana’s environment by accepting money from miners without conducting due diligence on their mining documents or operations.
“These chiefs collect money without proper verification, and that’s how illegal miners end up destroying our farmlands and water bodies,” he lamented.
Nana Siaw attributed much of the environmental devastation caused by galamsey to the negligence of traditional authorities, saying that in the past, chiefs prioritised the health and safety of their people by ensuring that mining was conducted responsibly and without polluting rivers or destroying vegetation.
He therefore called on the government to take decisive action by arresting and questioning all chiefs and landowners whose communities have been invaded by galamsey operators, noting that such accountability is the only way to bring an end to the menace.
“If we truly want to stop galamsey, the first people to be arrested are the chiefs and landowners who allow it to happen on their lands,” Nana Siaw emphasised.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com
