The Member of Parliament for Suame, John Darko, has dismissed the government’s efforts to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, describing the campaign as ineffective and rating its performance just one out of ten.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Wednesday, July 15, the Minority’s Legal Counsel and Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Environment and Science Committee argued that there had been little improvement in the country’s fight against illegal mining despite the government’s assurances.
“There is nothing new about the NDC government’s fight against illegal mining. You don’t even ask me to score their fight against galamsey. You can ask Ghana Water Company Limited. Their maintain challenge is with galamsey. The water is still as dark as coffee. For me, I will score them 1/10 for the attempt,” Mr Darko said.
His comments come after the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling illegal mining during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday.
The Minister acknowledged the scale of the challenge but insisted the government would continue working with security agencies, state institutions and local communities to reclaim degraded lands, protect forests and restore polluted water bodies.
Mr Armah-Kofi Buah maintained that the government would not relent in its efforts to end illegal mining, stressing that those responsible for environmental destruction would face the full force of the law.
He said safeguarding Ghana’s natural resources remained a national priority, adding that the country would continue working to restore its rivers, forests and mineral resources for future generations.