Akufo-Addo’s call for open conversation on galamsey disappointing – A Rocha

A Rocha Ghana has expressed disappointment in the President's latest remarks regarding the fight against illegal mining, locally known as ‘galamsey'.

In his last State of the Nation address on Tuesday, President Nana Akufo-Addo called for a wider stakeholder dialogue on the menace .

He said the phenomenon of illegal mining has dire effects on the country's environment and water bodies but there is the need for non-partisan discussions on whether it should be permitted in the country.

But A Rocha Ghana is of the view that the country has gone beyond dialogue about whether to eliminate illegal mining.

Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Director for A Rocha Ghana in a Citi News interview explained that he expected more from the President.

“It is very sad to hear that after several budgetary allocations for four years since 2017, now the President comes again to say that we have an open discussion. So what happened to the Operation Vanguard and the work of the inter-ministerial committee on illegal mining? So what is he trying to tell us? His whole posture now is for me quite contradictory to what he made me understand that this not good for our country, and he was committed to stopping it at all cost even at the cost of his presidency. I feel this turnaround is quite unfortunate and the President needs to do a lot of clarification on this matter”, he decried.

---citinewsroom