Chiefs urged to step up fight against galamsey
The Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, has asked chiefs to step up the fight against ‘galamsey ’ operations in their jurisdictions.
Advertisement
The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs as a follow-up to a similar one it organised in November last year.
It was to ascertain how well the people had complied with the government’s directive to put a stop to illegal mining, popularly known as
In attendance at the meetings were municipal and district chief executives, coordinating directors and assembly members
Negative impact
According to Mr Dzamesi, the rate at which
He reminded the chiefs that the methods used in
He, therefore, appealed to the chiefs, as custodians of the land, to get actively involved in the crusade to clamp down on the activities of
“The NPP, under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is concerned about the health of the people, which is why it has become necessary that
He stressed that the government had no intention to ban mining but was rather against illegal mining which was causing untold hardship to humans and destroying the environment.
Modern mining techniques
Mr Dzamesi disclosed that about 1,600 illegal miners had received training in modern mining techniques on ways of extracting gold without the use of chemicals from resource persons from the George Grant University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa in the Western Region.
Mr Dzamesi informed the chiefs that they would be included on a District Mining Committee (DMC) and would be required to scrutinise documents submitted by the Minerals Commission of persons seeking mining concessions in their jurisdictions.
The Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Mr Charles Cromwell Bissue, said the government had procured 200 drones to be used in fighting
He noted that the machines would take live images of the districts in the country where
He disclosed that 150 persons were being trained at the George Grant University of Mines and Technology to handle the machines.
Drone workings
A lecturer at the University of Mines and Technology and Consultant to the IMCIM, Dr Naa Dedei Tagoe, who is a drone specialist, took the participants through the workings of a drone.
She said the machine could be used both day and night and could capture all
The Omanhene of Adankrangya, Nana Oppong Frenyam II, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the durbar said the Asantehene was much concerned about the menace being created as a result of