‘Stop Galamsey once and for all’
After days of grounds work, the Media Coalition against Galamsey, launched its galamsey must stop advocacy programme in Accra last Tuesday vowing to put pressure on the government to act to stop the illegal activity once and for all.
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The Coalition also decided to go hard on people in high positions including politicians, chiefs and security people who condoned the illegal act.
To the Coalition the battle cry is to “ Name and Shame.”
The Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the New Times Corporation, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and the Community Radio Network, formed the coalition in response to the threat galamsey operators were causing to the very existence of the country.
As a sign of the importance the government attached to the media campaign, four Ministers of State participated in the launch. They included Mr John Peter Amewu, Lands and Natural Resources; Mr Kofi Adda, Water Resources and Sanitation; Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Information.
A steering committee was constituted to take charge of the activities and programmes of the Coalition. Members of the committee include Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, the Managing Director of the GCGL; Mr Akwasi Agyeman, the President of GIBA; Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG); Dr Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow, the Director-General of the GBC; Ms Carol Annang, the Managing Director of the New Times Corporation; Mr Affail Monney, the President of the GJA and a representative of the Community Radio Network, Mr Kofi Larweh.
Among the activities to be undertaken by the Coalition are organisation of Town Hall meetings to sensitise the people about the need to support the campaign to stop illegal mining.
Communities where the town hall meetings would be held include Kyebi, Tarkwa and Dunkwa-on-Offin. There would also be other meetings in the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Upper East and Northern regions.
The Coalition has also started the collection of one million signatures from Ghanaians and other persons who believe that illegal mining must end.
The signatures would accompany a petition to be presented to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Chief Justice and the Speaker of Parliament urging immediate action.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Ashigbey traced the history behind the media’s fight against galamsey, saying that the media were not so vociferous in the past.
He said the time had come for pressure to be mounted on all concerned to end the galamsey activities.
“ I call on all of us that, this time let us keep the pressure on till there is a change,” he said.
Making reference to the so-called big names behind galamsey, he added; “We need to shine light on all these people. Naming and shaming is going to be the name of the game. That is what we are here to do today.”
When he took his turn to speak, the President of GIBA, Mr Agyeman, said the activities lined up by the Coalition would be carried through to the letter.
All the Ministers of State had the opportunity to address the gathering, pledging the government’s support for the media advocacy campaign.
Mr Abdul-Hamid, who was the Guest Speaker, said there was no question about the devastating effects of galamsey and gave the assurance that the government would do whatever it takes to collaborate with the media to bring the situation under control.
“The media basically are the mirror of the society; you reflect what it is that is important for our nation and, therefore, the fact that these matters have dominated our headlines and discussions shows that this nation is united at this point in the efforts to rescue our country and rescue the future generation,” he said.
Mr Amewu, for his part, underscored the President’s passion to the environment.
“I assure you that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, is so passionate about the environment, the pollution of water bodies, degradation of our forest and is strongly behind you. We in politics and in government are solidly behind you,” Mr Amewu said.
He announced that the government had temporarily suspended the issuance of licences for small scale mining in the country, as part of efforts to sanitise the system.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng painted a disturbing picture outside the shores of Ghana which has its roots in developments in the country.
He said the pollution of some of the rivers in Ghana had affected the quality of water in the rivers in neighbouring Cote d’ivoire, a development the Ivorian authorities were not happy about.
There were solidarity messages from media partners and other stakeholders including the Christian Council of Ghana.