“No illegal mining on Wenchi Stool lands” — Paramount Chief warns divisional chiefs and queens

Osagyefo Ampem Anye Amoampong Tabrako III, the Paramount Chief of the Wenchi Traditional Area in the Bono Region, has cautioned divisional chiefs and queens against the temptation of aiding illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

He said any divisional chief or queen who failed to report illegal mining activities in their communities or engage in that environmental criminality would be dethroned accordingly.

Osagyefo Tabrako III gave the warning when he addressed a meeting of the Wenchi Traditional Council at Wenchi and called on the divisional chiefs to frontline the development of their respective communities.

He said the council had gotten information about ongoing gold exploration and prospecting in the area without the concerns of the council.

Osagyefo Tabrako II called on the Minerals Commission to ensure that the commission engages the council before licensing those companies to do their gold exploration and prospecting and also regulate their activities well.

He cautioned them against the practice of sabotaging development, asking them to collaborate with stakeholders to facilitate the development of the Wenchi Municipality.

Osagyefo Tabrako III noted that peace and unity remained pre-requisite for development and advised the chiefs in the area to shun divisive tendencies that could slow down the development of the communities.

He noted that Wenchi lagged in development and called on the community members to pull resources together, self-initiate development projects to attract support from the government and non-governmental organisations.

The Paramount Chief expressed the worry that though several quarry companies operated on the Wenchi stool lands, the communities had not benefited from their operations.

“It's highly frustrating that the activities of the quarry companies are having direct consequences on the communities and being manifested in noise making, vibrations and yet the communities are not having any direct benefit,” he stated.

Osagyefo Tabrako III called on those companies in the area to also prioritise and support the development of the local communities.

GNA