Stay away from galamsey - Akufo-Addo advises chiefs involved in illegal mining
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took his campaign against illegal mining to the Central Region yesterday, with a blunt call on chiefs to stop providing support for illegal miners.
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He said it was no secret that some chiefs were involved in illegal mining, otherwise called galamsey, adding: “If the fight against the illegality will succeed, then chiefs must work to support the national effort to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners.”
"I can't stand before you and lie: we all know that some chiefs are involved in giving out lands to galamseyers,” he declared.
President Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing the Central Regional House of Chiefs in Cape Coast as part of his two-day tour of the region.
He said he would not relent in the fight to restore degraded lands and polluted water bodies and protect the nation's resources for posterity.
At a two-day workshop on galamsey for traditional leaders drawn from different parts of the country in Accra on July 11, 2017, the President served notice that he was prepared to put his Presidency on the line in his avowed quest to fight illegal mining.
Interacting with the members of the Central Regional House of Chiefs on the first day of his two-day tour, President Akufo-Addo explained that the government was not against mining.
He said the fight against galamsey must not be seen as an anti-mining campaign but a national effort to ensure that things were done lawfully.
He reiterated the commitment of the government to provide alternative sources of livelihood for illegal miners to help sustain the fight against galamsey.
Stressing the need for the nation to feed itself, to a large extent, President Akufo-Addo said so far about 183,000 farmers had been registered under the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
Free SHS
On the free SHS policy, he said his commitment to develop the human resource of the nation was the key motivating factor for the government to fashion the free SHS policy, which would be rolled out next month.
He pledged to ensure that all the promises, including the restoration of nursing and teacher trainee allowances, which he made during political campaigning in the run-up to the 2016 general election, were fulfilled.
Obrempon Krampah
The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI, pledged the commitment of the chiefs to the fight against galamsey.
He appealed for a counsel for the house to help resolve chieftaincy disputes in the region.
After the meeting with the chiefs, the President addressed a durbar of the chiefs and the people of Twifo Atti Mokwa at Twifo Praso.
