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Nana Dwomoh Sarpong  — Environmentalist
Nana Dwomoh Sarpong — Environmentalist

Remain resolute in galamsey fight - Friends of Rivers urges President Akufo-Addo

The President has been urged to remain resolute in his commitment to combat the illegal mining (galamsey).

According to an environmentalist, Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, there were so many individuals and interest groups in the illegal business, including politicians and other state actors who might want to use various means to dissuade the President from his renewed position on illegal mining.

“But, I will encourage President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remain steadfast in his commitment to see the end of the menace,” he said.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra on the activities of Operation Halt so far, Nana Sarpong, who is also the President of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an environmental non-for-profit organisation, said: “The journey appears a long one, but we will surely get there as we all join the President in his efforts to sanitise the mining sector.”

Directives

In April, this year, the Ghana Armed Forces, on the directive of President Akufo-Addo, launched a nationwide operation dubbed Operation Halt to clear illegal miners out of the water bodies and forest reserves.

“President Akufo-Addo has authorised the Ghana Armed Forces to commence an operation to remove all persons and logistics involved in mining from Ghana’s water bodies,” a statement signed by the Minister for Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said.

The statement said the President’s instruction was in line with the resolutions reached in a recent stakeholder dialogue on small-scale mining, to ensure that mining in water bodies was halted immediately.

Tough decisions

Stressing how seriously illegal miners had damaged the country's water bodies and environment, the environmentalist said combating it needed tough decisions and actions.

“Some of the tough decisions being taken by the military have come under criticisms from certain quarters, but I dare say that such actions are the way to go looking at the task ahead,” he said.

He said the government had a duty to protect lives and properties so if certain machinery and equipment are being used to pollute the rivers and pose a threat to the health of the people, there was every reason to destroy such machinery.

“Putting chlorine into the rivers in the name of illegal mining is criminal and offenders must suffer for their acts,” he said.

He further emphasised the need for the state to go beyond destruction of mining equipment and prosecute offenders to serve as deterrent to others.

Extend operations

The environmentalist further urged the government not to put attention on the big rivers alone but extend the actualities of Operation Halt to other small rivers. and other water bodies.

That, he said, was because a concentration of activities of illegal miners on the rivers as being done now alone, might not realise the overall objectives.

“Some of the illegal miners are mining in streams and tributaries of the rivers and the security agencies must be allowed to go after them,” he said.

The Operation Halt started on the River Pra in the Central and Western regions of Ghana with 200 officers of the Ghana Armed Forces. Since then it has moved to other rivers such as the Ankobra and Birim.

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