Omanhene of Nsein commends govt for ‘galamsey’ fight
The Omanhene of the Nsein Traditional Area in the Western Region, Awulae Kwame Agyefi II, has lauded the government for its sustained fight against illegal mining (galamsey) in the country, describing the move as a “courageous decision”.
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“I want to specially thank President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his courageous decision to fight galamsey. We are all seeing the effects of the ban on the environment, especially on our water bodies. My people and I say thank you,” he said.
He further pledged the commitment of the chiefs of the area to provide the needed support to get rid of galamsey activities to ensure that the country’s natural resources were protected for future generations.
The Omanhene was speaking at a durbar held to climax the 2017 Kundum Festival, which also marked 50 years of his enstoolment as the Omanhene of Nsein.
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, was the Special Guest of Honour.
Commitment
“We the chiefs of Nsein are committed to the fight against galamsey. We fully support the fight and we will continue to point out the ills of society to the government,” Awulae Agyefi further stated.
While commending the President for the introduction of the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy, he condemned the rising spate of teenage pregnancy in the area, which he said was preventing girls from taking full advantage of the scholarships offered by the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited and other companies operating in the traditional area.
He urged the government to rehabilitate Axim town roads, as well as the roads in the Nsein SHS.
Commendation
For his part, Dr Bawumia commended Awulae Agyefi for his sterling leadership over the years, resulting in 50 years of peace and unity in the traditional area.
He said the government was committed to developing the entire country and gave an assurance that Nzemaland and the Western Region in general would receive their fair share of the national cake.
Judgement on maritime border disagreement
On the maritime disagreement with Cote d’Ivoire, the Veep described it as a “friendly maritime dispute” between Ghana and its western neighbour.
“This friendly and brotherly dispute was taken to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and judgement was given, which is very consistent with Ghana’s position all along.
“We are thankful to God and also grateful to our brothers and the government of Cote d’Ivoire. There is no winner or loser in this. We are all winners and we will continue to live in peace and co-operate with each other across many spheres,” he said.
Dr Bawumia said it was gratifying that Ghana did not resort to any other means to assert its right to the disputed boundary but went in for a friendly legal process that was devoid of acrimony.
“We took a very good step in resolving the crisis. There has been no fighting and no quarrelling. The matter was adjudicated at the international tribunal and, by the grace of God, it has been settled,” he added.
