The Chief Executive officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr Sulemanu Koney has called on the media to assert their role of naming and shaming government officials behind the perpetuation of illegal mining in the country.
He said it is common place that officialdom, traditional rulers and key personalities in society are involved in illegal mining and called on the media for support to stop the menace.
Mr Koney, who was addressing journalists in Kumasi during an interactive session indicated that illegal mining is quite different from small scale mining and that the laws were clear, except that their implementation is stalled.
The Chamber of Mines head noted that illegal mining was a natural disaster that should be fought by all and sundry, since by law (Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703) natural resources belong to Ghanaians, including media practitioners.
He stressed that it is time the media asked relevant questions to provoke answers as to who are behind illegal mining activities across the country.
His concern emanates from the fact that illegal mining is affecting the fortunes of gold production levels in Ghana besides pollution of water bodies and massive environmental degradation.
Mr Koney recommended the enforcement of laws on illegal mining to protect the environment to boost gold production, which holds 97.3% in the Minerals landscape towards optimizing fiscal revenue from the mining industry.
He was emphatic that media influence was necessary in the fight against the menace and called practitioners to speak to the ills of illegal mining. Taking his turn, Nana Ampofo-Bekoe the Sustainability Manager of Obuasi Mine of Anglogold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited reiterated the call on government to act on illegal mining activities.
He called on the media to sustain the pressure on the government to save the country from the menace of galamsey.
“The threats notwithstanding the media should be firm and act. The onus rests on the media to save the situation” he said. Nana Ampofo-Bekoe stated that the media should respond to the call and expose the detractors in order to retain the extractive industry.
“Ghana is doomed if we (Ghanaians media inclusive) allow the mining industry to collapse” he noted warning that in such circumstance posterity will not forgive us.
From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
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