Mustapha Gbande, Deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), has revealed that the Ministry of Environment, through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission, is preparing to undertake reclamation efforts on lands devastated by illegal mining activities.
In an interview monitored by Kumasimail.com on AbusuaFM’s AbusuaAdwenkyere programme with Ebenezer Yaw Zonah, Gbande revealed that President John Dramani Mahama’s government is actively cracking down on illegal miners licensed by former President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, especially those mining in forest reserves and water bodies.
Mustapha Gbande did not hold back in his criticism of the previous administration led by former President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, accusing it of enabling illegal mining by issuing licenses to mine within protected forest reserves.
“When we came into office, military personnel were deployed to evict illegal miners from forest reserves and river bodies,” Gbande said.
“If the Akufo-Addo government had continued the fight against illegal mining instead of licensing it, by now we would have continued from there and Ghana’s environment would be in a far better state today,” he added.
Gbande described gold mining as “like a money ritual” for many, with miners returning daily, driven by the lure of quick wealth. However, the current government of John Mahama is determined to break this cycle, removing illegal miners and restoring the land they have devastated.
He further detailed ongoing enforcement actions, noting that weekly joint military operations have resulted in numerous arrests, including many Chinese illegal miners, and the seizure of excavators due to improper mining methods.
Gbande remarked “Even though some still gather and continue mining, many have stopped and are willing and ready to mine in the rightful way if given the opportunity again.”
Highlighting environmental impacts, Gbande pointed to the Ashanti Region where cocoa cultivation has declined due to land degradation from illegal mining.
He affirmed that the government is set to commence reclamation projects to restore the pits and damaged lands left by illegal miners.
He said “Now, the Ministry of Environment, through the EPA and Minerals Commission, is about to undertake reclamation.
“For instance, if you look at the Ashanti Region, the amount of cocoa cultivated has decreased because much of the land has been destroyed by illegal miners. The government is now preparing to carry out reclamation to fill all the pits left by these illegal miners,” Gbande disclosed.
The deputy general secretary stressed that tackling illegal mining is a long-term battle.
He emphasized “If we talk about a national predicament such as illegal mining, it is not something that can be resolved in just one day. Also, this government has been in office for only five months. In 2017, by this time, Akufo-Addo was naming his ministers, no minister had been sworn in; we should check the records.
“But we (NDC) came into office and acted quickly, setting up the government within three months. Now, the NPP people say we couldn’t fight illegal mining (galamsey), but they claim they fight it well,” he expressed skepticism.
Gbande did not shy away from controversy, accusing some New Patriotic Party (NPP) leaders and ministers of profiting from illegal mining sites while using the military to arrest young miners.
“This double standard cost them dearly at the polls, especially in their own mining constituencies,” he claimed.
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
