Mr. Kingsely Adumattah Agyapong, popularly known as Wofa K, the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) UK Branch, has proposed that the government deploy military personnel to galamsey sites to establish a permanent presence, effectively occupying the areas to prevent illegal mining activities and protect the environment.
Wofa K’s remarks come in response to the recent escalation of illegal mining activities in Ghana, which have led to the devastation of the country’s forest reserves and posed a significant threat to the lives of citizens.
According to him, the deployment of military personnel to these sites is very paramount to fighting these activities, believing that their presence will help halt the illegal mining activities until a comprehensive framework can be established to regulate and manage the extraction of Ghana’s mineral resources.
Speaking exclusively on the Oyerepa Breakfast Show Wednesday morning with Nana Yaw Mensah Joel, Wofa K suggested that the government deploy as many military personnel to these galamsey sites to establish a permanent stay to prevent people from mining in these areas.
‘’It’s about time we take our military to live in all these geographically prone areas of Galamasey… I am proposing that it’s now time to take our military men to all these sites and live there forever until we are able to prepare a document and a well-planned method as to how we can mine our gold in this country, he stated.
Notwithstanding, he reaffirmed his confidence in the military’s ability to effectively address the galamsey menace, given their disciplined nature and capacity for enforcement with the government to provide the necessary resources, including adequate funding and logistical support, to enable the military to successfully execute this critical task.
Wofa K noted that mining can be a beneficial activity for Ghana, but the current methods used are flawed. He advocated for a thorough review of his proposal, which seeks to introduce a more responsible and sustainable approach to gold mining, one that prioritizes environmental protection and community well-being.
He therefore issued a clarion call to the President to give serious consideration to his suggestion, believing that a multi-faceted approach involving military presence and economic empowerment for affected communities could effectively address the surge in galamsey and restore Ghana’s environmental integrity.
‘’I am pleading with the Presidency to have a look at this proposal and have this method adopted in our quest to do proper mining in this country,’’ he said.
Source: oyerepafmonline.com/Freduah Agyemang Derrick
