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Tag: Galamsey

  • Galamsey: First batch of river guards begin training

    As part of measures to defend Ghana’s riverbodies from the operations of illegal miners, at least 100 people from various sections of the country have started a one-month training.

    The Deputy Chief Executive officer of the Minerals Commission officially handed 97 men and 3 women to the Eastern Naval Command on Friday, September 23 so they could begin training.

    The Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, Commodore Emmanuel Ayesu Kwafo, addressed the participants as well as described the training’s scope.

    He explained that by the end of the month-long training, the river guards will be equipped with skills in speedboat operation, swimming, among others.

    He charged the trainees to treat the drills with the seriousness it deserves so as to implement them effectively when they pass out.

    Commodore Emmanuel Ayesu Kwafo disclosed that the Ghana Navy is setting up a Rivery Command that will work with the riverguards to clampdown on galamsey activities on riverbodies.

    “The Ghana Navy itself is forming a rivery command so that after this training, we will support you to fight galamsey operations. For the next one month, we are going to give you some basic and essential skill that you’ll need out there”.

    “Swimming is one of the skills we will give you. We will show you what to do when the water is deep and how to deal with mining pits. We will teach how to detect the place and how to give reports and feedbacks”, he said.

    Speaking on behalf of the sector minister, the deputy CEO of the Minerals Commission in charge of operations,  Samuel Tika said the training forms part of government’s multi-faceted approach to the fight against illegal mining.

    “They have been specially selected to be trained to work on the areas of our country affected by galamsey activities. The Minerals Commission is not against mining but we want people to go through the due process. We have a lot of people around who are not following due process and are mining in ways that is polluting our riverbodies and posing health threats to the public.

    “The government thought it very wise to as part of the measures we are adopting against illegal mining to employ you so that you can help check these illegalities. You’ll be training on how to swim, be disciplined so that you will help Ghana to clean our riverbodies,” he said.

    When they passed out, the trainees will be deployed to the various riverbodies to provide permanent patrolling activities on those riverbodies.

    Government has earlier this year purchased some speedboats to aid in the fight against illegal mining.

    In all 300 persons are expected to undergo the training in three batches.

     

  • 21 foreigners arrested in Ejisu over illegal immigration

    Police in the Ashanti Region have arrested 21 foreign nationals believed to be illegal immigrants at Akokoamong within the Ejisu Municipality.

    The arrest follows a joint action by community members who say they have observed the suspicious activities of the persons for months and thus decided to hand them over to the police for further investigations to be conducted.

    One of the community leaders, Mohammed Ali, said they caused the arrest of the foreigners because they believe they pose a security threat and as such, they want the relevant authorities to probe their operations.

    “In the evenings, you will see them make calls. That is what they have been doing. So as residents, we have to be security conscious. Things go on around here and no one knows what they have been doing.”

    The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has been advocating for stronger collaboration amongst all security agencies to meet the security needs of the country.

    According to the GIS, Ghana’s porous borderlines pose a high-security threat to the country.

    This threat needs a purposeful cross-intelligence and engagement amongst security agencies and community stakeholders to improve security alertness.

     

     

  • 2 granted ¢4m bail over galamsey contract

    A reverend minister and another person have been brought before an Accra High Court for their alleged involvement in the recent galamsey activities involving the Chinese illegal miners in the country.

    The 59-year-old minister, Rev. Wallace Dela-Brown, and Wilberforce Essien have been arraigned on two counts of conspiracy to mine without a licence and contracting non-Ghanaians to undertake mining operations and services without a licence granted by the minister.

    They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The two were subsequently admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢2 million each with two sureties by the court, presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh.

    Per the bail conditions, the sureties should be justified with landed properties and must be residents of Accra.

    The accused are also to deposit their passport, and passport pictures with the registrar of the court.

    They are also to report to the police once every week.

    Per the brief facts of the case presented to the court by an Assistant State Attorney (ASA), Derick Ackah were that on September 8, 2022, police had information about illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, at Teleku-Bokazo near Nkroful in the Western Region involving some Chinese who were residing at Esiama.

    He said that based on the information gathered, the police mounted an operation at Esiama where suspects, Huang Qian Xi, LiJian Wen, Huang Qian Sheng, Shi Zhong Qi and Wei LinXi, who are all Chinese, were arrested.

    He told the court that an excavator and other mining equipment were also seized.

     

    Source: Graphiconline

  • I’m the complainant behind most galamsey cases in Ellembelle – DCE

    Kwasi Bonzoh, the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle has said that his dedication to the fight against illegal mining has seen him gone up against illegal miners in court.

    Bonzoh K as he is fondly called, said on Adom FM that he is the complainant in most of the illegal mining cases being prosecuted in the Ellembelle district.

    He recounted instances where he testified in open court against illegal miners and emphasize his commitment to the fight.

    Bonzoh K also noted that but for the drive and dedication of the Akufo-Addo government, the Ellembelle district would have been ravaged by illegal mining activities.

    Whiles commending the president for the fight against galamsey, Bonzoh K reaffirmed his willingness to protect the resources.

    “Let me commend the president. But for his intervention and commitment to fighting illegal mining, things would have been worse. There is gold in Ellembele but instead of going through due process they normally circumvent the process by seeing the families who are owners of the land. Because it’s illegal, you can’t regulate them.

    “Nana Akufo-Addo’s fight is what has brought us some relief. There are about 18 operations and I’m the complainant for most of them. There are instances where I’ve testified in open court against galamseyers” he said.

    Bonzoh K also called for a de-politicization of the fight against galamsey. He surmised that giving the fight a political colorization will prevent the government and agencies from identifying the real culprits behind the menace.

    “Galamseyers are businessmen who take advantage of the political space. We should do this thing [fighting illegal mining] without the political colorization of the fight”.

    “When you arrest one galamseyer, the number of calls that you will receive transcends political lines. The moment you politicize it, the real actors get away with it. We are doing the unborn generations a great disservice if we don’t win this fight. If we just look on for people to just destroy our environment, what will my children come to inherit?”

    Bonzoh K has been charged with five counts of alleged obstruction over the controversial missing excavators saga.

    The charges he will face are assault, conspiracy to assault, resisting arrest and two others.

    He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently on a bail.

  • Galamsey ruins the condition of the Pra River

    The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Western Region says the quality of water from the Pra River that is abstracted, treated and supplied to residents of Sekondi- Takoradi is getting worse day by day due to the activities of illegal miners.

    Currently, the laboratory analysis by GWCL shows very high turbidity and colour values. The current Turbidity of the Pra River is 3,000 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) while the colour is 9,014 HU (Hezen Units).

    In an interview with B&FT, the Communications Manager of the company in charge of Western and Central Regions, Nana Yaw Barima Barnie, said if the current trend continues unchecked it will get to a point where the company can no longer treat the Pra River to produce safe drinking water.

    He explained that very soon the water pumps will not even be able abstract this kind of excessively polluted water, since they were designed to abstract water and not to de-silt it.

    “The kind of water that is abstracted sometimes looks like mud, which is not meant for the pumps to abstract; and if it continues this way, the plant may be shut down as happened in the Eastern Region during the past. And that is the danger we are all facing in the country in terms of water supply,” he added.

    “If it gets to a point where because of the activities of these illegal miners the quality of water is so bad that we cannot treat it, all they can do is to shut down the plant. And can you imagine what the repercussions will be if we have to shut down the plant even for one day? What will happen to the hospitals, schools and other institutions which rely so much on our water?” he asked.

    He called for swift interventions to deal with the galamsey situation, as a lack of them will have dire consequences for the people in Sekondi-Takoradi – and by extension the entire nation.

    “These galamsey activities are all over the country. The ban on galamsey was instituted five years ago, and there is no sign that we are winning the battle. We are destroying our own lives because water, they say, is life – and no human being can live the whole day without using water for one thing or another. Unfortunately, as a people we appear helpless in this situation,” he lamented.

    He pointed out that the quality of water in all the river-bodies is deteriorating, and it behoves all stakeholders to help fight this menace of galamsey if the country’s future is to be secured.

    Source:thebftonline

  • Aisha Huang’s case can’t be yardstick for measuring galamsey fight – Lands Minister

    The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor says Aisha Huang’s case can’t be a yardstick for measuring galamsey fight in the country.

    He says the issue has been sensationalised. According to him, Aisha Huang is no different from other foreigners who have flouted the laws of the country.

    Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Face to Face on Citi TV that it is outrageous to center the government’s effort in fighting illegal mining (galamsey) on “a Chinese woman, who has flouted the rules of the country.”

    “The Aisha Huang case should not be looked at in isolation, but in the context of foreigners being involved in Ghanaian industries and perpetuating criminality and how we deal with it. Yes, it’s unfortunate that she entered the country after she was sent away, but that should not be the focus.”

    “We are making it seem as though the entire effort of the President and government revolves around Aisha Huang. Aisha Huang is just a Chinese woman who flouted the laws of Ghana and cannot be a test stone. She is no different from the foreigners arrested a week ago.”

    Since Aisha Huang was arrested earlier in September, there have been several claims about how she left the country in 2018 and when she re-entered.

    Despite the government providing evidence of a repatriation notice and the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, saying she was repatriated, the prosecutors in court on Wednesday stated that Aisha Huang sneaked out of Ghana after her arrest in 2017.

    The initial report on the case was that she had been deported in 2018 after filing a nolle prosequi to discontinue an earlier case against her.

    It also emerged that Aisha Huang in the wake of her re-arrest over illegal mining activities in the country despite her deportation was found to be in possession of a Ghana Card bearing the name Huang En.

    Source: Citinewsroom.com

     

  • Chinese workers cautioned against mining for gold in Ghana after arrests

    GhanaWeb reported on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had cautioned its residents in Ghana not to participate in the illicit small mining activity.

    According to the article, the Chinese ministry claimed that practicing galamsey by its citizens in Ghana was dangerous since it would not support them if they were detected doing so.

    “Foreigners still cannot do it…
    On the Chinese social media platform WeChat, the government declared that they would not be covered by Ghanaian law.

    Chinese citizens who work at gold mines in Ghana will not be protected by their home country if they get snared in a crackdown on illegal mining, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned after some Chinese nationals were detained for working in the African nation.

    Although Ghana allows licensed companies to do small-scale gold mining, “it’s still illegal for foreigners” to work in the sector, “and they will not be protected by Ghanaian laws”, the ministry said on Monday on the Chinese social media app WeChat.

    Some Chinese citizens had been detained “in recent days” for working at Ghanaian gold mines illegally, it said, without providing details.

    China’s embassy in Ghana alerted miners at the start of the new year that they faced the possibility of being arrested as the local government stepped up its crackdown on foreign operations.

    An official from the embassy’s consular affairs department, who declined to be identified, said he could not say more about the matter.

    The ministry’s consular affairs’ media centre in Beijing could not be reached for comment.

    Osafo-Marfo justifies why galamsey Queen Aisha Huang was ‘freed’

    Chinese miners have been flocking to Ghana, Africa’s second-largest gold exporter and the world’s tenth largest, for several years.

    At the height of the miners’ gold rush in 2012-13, more than 30,000 Chinese were mining Ghanaian gold, according to an earlier report by the Global Times, a newspaper owned by Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily. About 90 per cent of them hailed from Shanglin county in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the report said.

    But their number had fallen in recent years as Ghanaian authorities had stepped up their raids on illegal mining, Su Zhenyu, secretary general of the China-Ghana Mines Association, was quoted as saying.

    But news website Asia by Africa reported last month that 50,000 Chinese migrants had poured into Ghana in recent years, drawn by the country’s unprotected mineral wealth and sky-high gold prices.

    Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo called illegal mining by Chinese citizens a top concern.

    “Ghana and China have a strong relationship,” he told Nikkei Asian Review last month. “However, we have a big problem [with] Chinese involvement in illegal mining activity in Ghana [and] we have decided to do something about it.”

    In June 2013, 124 Chinese citizens were detained by Ghanaian police for digging for gold illegally.

    The arrests prompted the Chinese foreign ministry to urge Ghanaian authorities to enforce their laws – in a civilised way – to protect residents from having their resources plundered by foreign invaders.

    Beijing has long been determined not to allow relations with Ghana to be undermined by the arrests of the illegal gold miners.

    It wants to protect its growing trade relationship with one of Africa’s brightest economic stars.

    Ghana-China trade stood at more than US$6 billion in 2017, up 11.7 per cent from a year earlier, according to an article on the website Ghana Web.

    It also seeks to defuse any issue that could stoke popular resentment against its citizens doing business in Africa or threaten its expanding trade relationship with the continent.

  • Gov’t has not lost control of galamsey fight – Seth Acheampong

    The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, has stated that government is still committed to the fight against illegal mining in spite of the many failures experienced so far.

    In an interview with Citi TV he said claims that the government has never been devoted to the struggle against the threat is untrue.

    The Minister mentioned that government losing out in the last election is somehow proof that state actions are yielding results.

    “The president, in putting his office on the line, the party suffered heavily in the 2020 election in areas that had illegal mining. They voted against us. That is the risk we took,” he added.

    Mr. Acheampong emphasized that, “as we face this issue humanly and squarely, unfortunately, it is being made a matter of politics and it’s so depressing when you try to put your life on the line. This administration is poised to be responsible”.

    In 2017, President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declared that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey.

    His declaration was amidst new measures such as the deployment of police and military personnel to arrest illegal miners across the country and the introduction of a community mining programme aimed at regulating small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally sustainable manner.

    There have been complaints that the water bodies that were regaining their natural state at the height of the fight against galamsey are becoming polluted again due to the increasing activities of illegal miners in various parts of the country.

    President Akufo-Addo again made public statements on the development, saying that there is a need for an open discussion on the subject.

    The government, through the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, subsequently held a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining that, among other things, urged the government to firmly enforce the country’s laws on mining.

    Recently, the debate on whether the government is in control of the fight has been renewed following controversies surrounding the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.

  • Gov’t has not lost control in galamsey fight – Seth Acheampong

    Seth Acheampong, the Eastern Regional Minister, claims that the government is still committed to the fight against illegal mining in spite of the many failures experienced so far.

    He believes that the determination to put a stop to all types of unlawful small-scale mining, often known as “galamsey,” is still on track and still within the bounds of the law.

    “Commentators claim that using the whip to discipline people is highhanded, but our government is resolute and determined. We are not moaning and flinging our hands in despair”, he remarked on The Point of View on Citi TV.

    He refuted criticism that the government has never been devoted to the struggle against the threat.

    The Minister mentioned that government losing out in the last election is somehow proof that state actions are yielding results.

    “The president, in putting his office on the line, the party suffered heavily in the 2020 election in areas that had illegal mining. They voted against us. That is the risk we took”.

    Mr. Acheampong emphasized that, “as we face this issue humanly and squarely, unfortunately, it is being made a matter of politics and it’s so depressing when you try to put your life on the line. This administration is poised to be responsible”.

    In 2017, President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declared that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey.

    His declaration was amidst new measures such as the deployment of police and military personnel to arrest illegal miners across the country and the introduction of a community mining programme aimed at regulating small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally sustainable manner.

    There have been complaints that the water bodies that were regaining their natural state at the height of the fight against galamsey are becoming polluted again due to the increasing activities of illegal miners in various parts of the country.

    President Akufo-Addo again made public statements on the development, saying that there is a need for an open discussion on the subject.

    The government, through the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, subsequently held a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining that, among other things, urged the government to firmly enforce the country’s laws on mining.

    Recently, the debate on whether the government is in control of the fight has been renewed following controversies surrounding the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.

     

  • We’ll soon stop producing because of galamsey – GWCL

    The illicit mining (galamsey) operations in the Western Region, according to Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), make it difficult to produce water every day.

    According to GWCL, the region was utilizing 20 gallons of alums per day to treat water, but that number has now increased to 60 gallons per day due to the region’s water bodies’ poor quality as a result of galamsey activities.

    The Central and Western Regional Communications Manager for GWCL, Nana Yaw Baanie, said on the Morning Starr with Francis Abban on Monday that “the situation is really getting worse” and that “urgent steps must be taken to salvage the situation.” She also added that the government is losing the battle against galamsey in the region.

    According to him, if the operation of illegal mining had really stopped the water bodies should be clear by now but that is not the case in the region.

    “The color is over 9,000NTU and then the turbidity is 3,000 so this is what Ghana Water will have to deal with. We are supposed to reduce these figures to five (5) in order to make the water potable. That is the guideline we have been given. So this is our story in Takoradi Daboase to be specific where we get water from the Pra.

    “If there should be anything that can be done it must be done now and it must be drastic. Recently, my boss Stanley Mantey said a time will come when Ghana Water Company will cease operation, yes. It may be coming very soon but we don’t know when,” Mr. Baanie stated.

    Because what do we do if the water becomes untreatable at some point, he continued?
    Can you image what will happen in Sekondi Takoradi if we cease operating for even one day?
    We have a sizable hospital in Effia Nkwantan; where will they receive water if we have to suspend operations?
    What will happen to the universities and the second cycle schools if we cease operations?

    He claimed that before the ban on galamsey was declared, the galamseyers were active at the GWCL operation site at Daboase.

    He asserted that, despite a nationwide campaign to combat the threat, their investigation demonstrates that the galamsey activities are still taking place.

     

  • Using military to fight galamsey will not solve the problem – US-based mining consultant

    AUS-based Ghanaian mining consultant, Dr Solomon Owusu, has condemned the use of the military to clamp down on illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, in the country.

    Dr Owusu asserted that this approach, adopted by the government, is flawed.

    In his view, the country needs a stringent approach backed by Ghana’s Mineral Act to rid the country of the menace.

    Speaking to the media on Saturday, September 18, 2022, he said, “using the military approach will not solve the problem. They need technical inputs, and after getting the technical inputs to ensure that the right standard operating procedures have been developed for them to follow, then monitoring and law enforcement follow.”

    The digging of small working pits and tunnels by miners in search of gold has in the long run destroyed Ghana’s water bodies and farmlands.

    A chilling revelation by the Water Resources Commission (WRC) disclosed that about 60 percent of Ghana’s water bodies had been polluted as a result of galamsey.

    The persistent canker has been heavily criticized by citizens due to its detrimental environmental effects.

    However, the US-based Ghanaian mining consultant mentioned that the continuous degradation of Ghana’s water bodies and lands should not only be blamed on illegal miners.

    Dr Owusu stated that some small-scale miners are also part of Ghana’s woes.

    He pointed out that both small-scale and illegal miners use arbitrary means of mineral extraction leading to the associated damage to the environment.

    In order to fight the canker, he urged industry players to strengthen the law regarding unlawful mining rather than using military force.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Sefwi Elubo: Chief and brother arrested for illegally mining under buildings

    A chief and his brother at Sefwi Elubo in the Western North Region have been arrested by the police for spearheading illegal mining in the area.

    They dug illegal mining pits one of which led to the bedroom of the chief’s brother.

    Nana Anini Baffour and his brother Kwadwo Affi were arrested on Friday, September 16, 2022.

    Six other suspects in connection with illegal mining in the town have been placed on the police wanted list.

    The arrest followed police investigations on a video shared on social media, depicting how illegal mining activities have affected some houses in the town.

    Four other deep dug-out pits have also been uncovered by the police in other houses in the same vicinity.

    Investigation has further revealed that the chief, his brother and the six other suspects who are on the run are the main people behind the illegal mining activities.

    “As investigation continues, we would like to assure the public that all those involved will be brought to face justice,” a police statement dated September 17, 2022, signed and issued by Police Director of Public Affairs, Chief Superintendent Grace Ansah-Akrofi said.


    Nana Anini Baffour and his brother Kwadwo Affi were arrested on Friday, September 16, 2022.

    Below is a copy of the police statement on the arrest

    SEFWI ELUBO CHIEF AND HIS BROTHER ARRESTED; SIX OTHERS BEING PURSUED IN CONNECTION WITH ILLEGAL MINING

    The Police, on September 16, 2022, arrested the chief of Sefwi Elubo and his brother and are pursuing six others in connection with illegal mining in Sefwi Elubo township in the Western North Region.

    The suspects, Nana Anini Baffour and his brother Kwadwo Affi were arrested following Police investigation of a video circulating on social media showing illegal mining activities in some compound houses of the town.

    Investigation has so far discovered dug-out pits from the compound leading to the bedroom of the chief’s brother.

    Four other deep dug-out pits have also been uncovered by the Police in other houses in the same vicinity. Investigation has further revealed that the chief, his brother and six other suspects who are on the run are the main people behind the illegal mining activities.

    As investigation continues, we would like to assure the public that all those involved will be brought to face justice.

  • Using military to fight galamsey will not solve the problem – US-based mining consultant

    A Ghanaian mining consultant residing in the US, Dr. Solomon Owusu has criticized the use of the military to stop illegal mining in Ghana.

    He claims that the strategy is rudimentary and fails to address the core issue of “galamsey.”

    Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, he told host, Samson Lardy Anyenini that the menace of ‘galamsey’ has become a challenge because of the absence of strict standard operating procedures to regulate the activities of miners.

    Dr. Owusu noted the lack of these procedures compel miners to use arbitrary means of mineral extraction, leading to to the associated damage to the environment.

    He therefore called on stakeholders within the industry to tighten the laws on illegal mining, instead of resorting to the use of the military to address the challenge.

    “Using the military approach will not solve the problem. They need technical inputs and after getting the technical inputs to ensure that right standard operating procedures have been developed for them to follow, then monitoring and law enforcement follows.

    But using the military to get rid of the illegal miners, what about the licensed small scale miners who are also polluting [the water bodies] and degrading it?”, he stressed.

    He nonetheless praised the Akufo-Addo regime for the enhanced efforts in eradicating ‘galamsey’ in Ghana.

    The comments by the mining consultant adds to the various recommendations from stakeholders on how to deal decisively with the menace.

    In a related development, the Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Dr. Clifford Braimah, has also advocated the involvement of the Water Resources Commission in the fight against illegal mining in Ghana.

    According to him, this will strengthen the inter-agency efforts being employed to deal with the menace.

    Adding his voice on NewsFileon Saturday, he explained that, the Water Resources Commission is a critical agency, whose mandate cannot be ignored if the fight against ‘galamsey’ will succeed.

    He however noted that the Commission is currently under-resourced, hence the need for it to be retooled.

    Over the last couple of weeks, the menace of ‘galamsey’ has been on the front burner, following the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.

    The Chinese lady, who was reportedly deported from Ghana in 2018, was rearrested in Kumasi on September 5.

    Subsequently, her latest arrest rekindled the conversation about illegal mining and the complicity of government officials in the act.

    But reacting to these rife allegations, government has consistently debunked them, insisting that it is committed to dealing with the menace.

    Meanwhile, the ‘galamsey’ queen, Aisha Huang, is currently in prison custody, after she and her accomplices were denied bail on Thursday, September 15.

    They will however appear again in court on September 27.

    Source: myjoyonline

     

  • Ashia Huang must not be spared; she must be prosecuted – NDC

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the case involving galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, must not be trivialized.

    According to a Deputy General Secretary of NDC, Peter Boamah Otokunor, government must handle the issue with the seriousness it deserves.

    This comes on the back of an accusation by the lawyer for Aisha Huang, Nkrabea Effah Dartey that the media is overstretching the substance of the case involving the Chinese national.

    In a media interview, Mr. Boamah Otokunor stressed that the issue has not been blown out of proportion.

    “I have read commentaries from NPP members and the lawyers defending her that this is not any matter and that, the issue is being blown out of proportion. Look at the crisis the country is going through and the challenge of suffering the worst currency depreciation in the history of this country. Gold is the solution to this problem, but Aisha Huang is doing all manner of things to our mining laws, but because NPP is in power, she is being defended.”

    Peter Boamah Otukunor added that Aisha must be dealt with in accordance with Ghana’s laws.

    “What we are demanding now after finding out that, Aisha Huang is still in the country is the proper application of the law in dealing with her. She must be prosecuted”, he added.

     

  • 3 excavators, 3 pump action guns retrieved as police arrest 3 more Chinese over galamsey

    Police in the Western Region have arrested six Ghanaians and 3 Chinese nationals in an anti-galamsey swoop.

    According to a report by Onua FM, the police, during the arrest, retrieved three pump action guns and 3 excavators.

    The operation comes after the earlier arrest of five other Chinese nationals in connection with two missing excavators and illegal mining activities.

    Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzo, and four others have been arrested and granted police enquiry bail over an incident involving one of the missing excavators.

    The DCE is accused of interfering in police duties by seeking to stop the transportation of the excavator to the Western Regional Police Command in Takoradi.

     

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • 3 excavators, 3 pump action guns retrieved as police arrest 3 more Chinese over galamsey

    Six Ghanaians  and three citizens of Chinese nationals have been arrested by Western Region police as part of an anti-galamsey operation.

    According to a report by Onua FM, the police recovered three pump action pistols and three excavators during the arrest.

    The operation comes after five other Chinese nationals were arrested in connection with the theft of two excavators and unlawful mining activities.

    Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzo, and four others have been arrested and granted police enquiry bail over an incident involving one of the missing excavators.

    The DCE is accused of interfering in police duties by seeking to stop the transportation of the excavator to the Western Regional Police Command in Takoradi.

     

  • Winning galamsey fight possible, but obstacles are many- Derek Oduro

    The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major (rtd) Derek Oduro, says it is possible for the country to win the fight against galamsey but has also admitted that there are many obstacles .

    He made the comments in relation to the recent issues concerning Chinese national, Huang Ruixia alias Aisha Huang and that of the missing excavators at Ellembelle.

    After being deported in December 2018, Aisha Huang and three others were recently arrested and remanded for allegedly engaging in illegal mining in Ghana.

    The accused persons were charged for engaging in sale and purchase of minerals without a licence.

    Speaking on Atinka TVs morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Major (rtd) Derek Oduro said, “It is possible to fight galamsey, but there are so many obstacles, there are so many mine fields that should be protected but people are sabotaging it, and they know what they are doing is not good but they are using it to do politics. Because of the galamsey fight, a lot voted against the NPP, we are all aware that most of the places where the people do galamsey, they voted against NPP,” he said.

    He also advised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government not to allow Members of Parliament (MPs) to lead the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) in their communities.

    Derek Oduro observed that when it happens like that, the people tend to vote against the MPs during election, a situation he believes is unfair on the part of the galamseyers.

    “If we want a solution to this menace, what we should do is that, we should not allow any MP in the areas where they mine to get involved in the fight against galamsey. We should not allow any of them to lead the fight against galamsey because his own people, the youth who vote for them are part of the galamseyers so when you go and speak against it then you have an issue. Meanwhile, if you do not talk about it to things go bad,” he said.

  • Aisha Huang was never deported – Dafeamekpor claims

    Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has alleged that Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang was never deported from the country as claimed by the government in 2018.

    In a tweet on September 6, Dafeamekpor premised his argument on the fact that the purported Ghana Card of Aisha Huang which has surfaced online was issued to her on Sunday, February 27, 2022.

    He said the Chinese national was in the country for which reason her biometric details were able to be captured on a weekend.

     

    “Evidence is that on Sunday, 27th February, 2022, Aisha Huan a.k.a Aisha En got her NIA Card issued to her by Govt. Same Govt said she had long been deported to China. Look, this woman was never deported that’s how come her biometric details could be captured for this weekend job,” Dafeamekpor tweeted.

    Background

    Chinese national and galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang evaded immigration authorities and re-entered Ghana to conduct illegal business despite her controversial deportation in 2018.

    Reports by Accra-based Citi News revealed that Huang despite last leaving by air, returned to Ghana via the eastern land border i.e. Togo.

    Whilst the report is silent on when she first reentered and how many times she has been in and out of the jurisdiction, it turned out that she also used a different name on her return.

    This was established with evidence that upon her return, Huang applied for and obtained the Ghana Card in February 2022 using the name “Huang En.”

    The year of issuance of the non-citizen Ghana Card has however been dismissed by NIA.

    The Citi News report added that she always sneaked out of Ghana when she got intelligence about the possibility of an arrest.

    Despite coming in through Aflao, Aisha made the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi her base from where she engaged in the business of selling mining materials. She was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.

    On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.

    This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.

    The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.

    The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • 9 illegal miners busted by Nyinahin anti-galamsey taskforce

    In efforts to clamp down on the illegal mining activities also known as galamsey in the Atwima Mponua district in the Ashanti Region, a police taskforce embarked on an operation which led to the arrest of nine illegal miners.

    The suspects were arrested during the operation carried out by the district anti-galamsey taskforce, led by Mr Isaac Kofi Marfo, the District Chief Executive, at Mpasatia, Beposo and Abompe.

    Six Changfan boats which were impounded during the operations were destroyed while 17 android and 11 keypad mobile phones belonging to the suspects were confiscated.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr James Amekah told the Ghana News Agency that, the suspects were in police custody waiting to be put before the court.

    He mentioned the names of the suspects as Andrews Badim 42, Dugah Etse 31, Adjetey Anaglo 39, Collins Teyeh 24 and Amenuve Kpapeba 22.

    The rest were Kwadwo Bosompem 30, William Sovi 25, Baba Noah 27 and Winfred Nyantoma 32.

    DSP Amekah called on the people in the communities to be vigilant and report people engaged in any illegal activity to the security agencies.

     

  • Fight against Galamsey: Operation Halt confiscates and burns 838 Changfan Machines

    The Operation Halt II team has seized and burned a total of 838 Changfan machines and other pieces of mining machinery being used by unlicensed miners on the Offin River in the Western Region.

    In a three-day operation against galamsey in water bodies, the military task force impounded and burned the equipment.

    The Operation Halt II team was sent to the area last Sunday to halt illegal mining operations in the Offin and four other rivers through ongoing patrols of those waterways.
    The military deployment followed a video that went viral on social media about galamsey activities in the Offin River.

    The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, led a team from the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry to the area yesterday[August 16, 2022], and observed that the illegal miners had heavily polluted the Offin River.

    Some of the floating platforms and equipment mounted in various sections of the river had been decommissioned and destroyed or burnt.

    The Minister emphasized that the operation that has been carried out by the Operation Halt II team was just a foretaste of what was to come, saying the team would be ruthless in eliminating recalcitrant galamsey operators.

    “We want to remind everyone about the government’s uncompromising and unshakeable stance against illegal mining. Those who are stubborn and will not pay heed to any warnings should be prepared because we will keep coming at them,” he stressed.

    He assured the public that the current operation would remain in force until all waterbodies in the country regained their health.

    He called on residents of mining communities to rally around the government to ensure that “these recalcitrant and greedy people who are destroying our heritage and future of this country are dealt with”.

    Mr. Duker commended the military team for the good work done and urged them to go all out to clear the galamsey operators from the system.

    The Commander of the military team, Brigadier Amoah Ayisi, said since the team commenced the operation last Sunday, the illegal miners had been cleared off the water bodies.

    He said Changfan machines and other equipment up to nearly 900 had been burnt.

    Brigadier Ayisi said the team was committed to discharging their responsibility in the national interest.

    Background

    The team of security men was deployed last Sunday to clamp down on illegal mining activities on six major river bodies that had come under heavy attack by illegal miners.

    The security men, working with five-speed boats, are currently patrolling the Offin, Pra, Birim, Ankobra and Black Volta rivers.

    They were tasked to arrest all persons found mining in water bodies and clear the rivers of all mining equipment.

    Since 2017, the government has rolled out a gamut of interventions to curb illegal mining.

    In an effort to effectively deal with illegal mining in water bodies, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resourcesh, Samuel Abu Jinapor, recently commissioned five speed boats to help the Ghana Navy patrol the Ankobra, Pra, Offin, and Birim rivers and the Black Volta.

    (more…)

  • Soldiers reportedly beat up governments galamsey task force at Asankragwa

    An illegal mining task force under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is alleged to have been brutalized by some military officers on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at Asankragwa in the Western Region of Ghana.  

    In a voice recording of the incident sighted by GhanaWeb, the soldiers are heard interrogating some members of the task force on their mission in the area. 

    A lady who identified herself as Mabel Hammond working in the Office of the President told one of the soldiers that there were commissioned by the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker to apprehend illegal miners on and near water bodies and hand them over to the police. 

    “We work for Honourable George Mirelu Duker under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. He appointed us as a task force,” she told the officer. 

    While the interrogation was ongoing, sounds of whipping and commanding shouts such as “heads up” is heard in the background of the voice audio.  

    Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in a statement has said the ministry is assisting in investigations to establish the facts surrounding the encounter between the task force and the military officers. 

    While confirming the appointment of the task force to fight against illegal mining, the statement said the task force was dispatched to Enchi in the Western-North Region upon receipt of information that some illegal mining activities were taking place in the area.  

    According to the statement, the task force while reporting back to Accra after their work in the region identified an illegal mining site along the Manso-Amenfi road and effected the arrest of two persons.  

    “The Deputy Minister in charge of Mining was duly informed and they were advised to contact the DCE for the conveyance of the two excavators from the site to Amenfi Central District Assembly. 

    “A Chinese national and a Ghanaian were arrested during the operation and they were handed over to Manso-Amenfi police. 

    “On their way back to Accra, after the arrest, some military personnel met them around Wassa Akropong, accosted and purported to have brutalized the team and sent them to Obuasi Central Police Station,” the statement said. 

    Listen to recordings of the incident HERE:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 265 mining equipment destroyed over galamsey Duker

    Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, has revealed that 265 mining equipment have been destroyed.

    He added that 26 illegal miners have also been arrested since the operation halt illegal mining was launched.

    He made this known at a media briefing on Wednesday, December 8.

    He said the 26 persons are currently facing the law.

    It is recalled that Attorney General Godfred Dame assured that persons arrested for galamsey are facing the law in court.

    “As many as about 45 people are on trial as a result of operations taken in the past two weeks. Most importantly, it involves about 10 Chinese nationals,” he said on Joy FM on May 29.

    “The principles that the President set out in his speech on Wednesday were actually the foundations for the decision of the High Court in Kumasi. The High Court endorsed the principle that no right can accrue from the illegality,” the Attorney General argued.

    Source: 3news.com

  • Soldier sent on anti-galamsey duties reportedly rapes teenager in the bush

    A military man on anti-galamsey operations is in the grips of the Wassa Akropong District police for allegedly raping an 18-year-old lady at Yaw Gyimakrom near Hemang in the Western Region

    Police confirmed to MyNewsGh.com that the victim (Name withheld) and the boyfriend Bismarck Antwi were returning home from a galamsey site located at Yaw Gyimakrom near Hemang when the incident happened.

    According to the police, on reaching a section of the rough road, they met 2 military men and they asked her to show them where the Excavator Machine was operating and escorted both towards a certain galamsey site.

    As she was directing the two soldiers to the site, another troop of soldiers arrived at the scene and arrested the boyfriend.

    One of the soldiers then lured her into the bush and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her and bolted.

    The victim managed to come out from the bush to meet Bismark Antwi the boyfriend and, informed him about her sexual encounter with the military man.

    An Identification parade was made by the detachment Commander of Team one Sergeant Owusu Darkwah Peter on hearing the issue and the victim identified Number 202843 AB1 Abdul Latif as her assailant.

    A Police Medical Report Form was issued to the victim to attend hospital for examination and endorsement

    Police investigators visited the crime scene and saw footprints on the ground which suggests that the incident happened at that spot. A yellow bag which the victim was holding before the incident was seen a few meters from the spot.

    Suspect AB1 Abdul Latif was brought to the Station by the said detachment Commander and he was re-arrested and detained but later cautioned and released on police inquiry bail to the detachment Commander to be reporting period until the final determination of the matter.

    Source: mynewsgh.com

  • Galamsey: 2 Chinese, 2 Ghanaians arrested in Nzema East

    The Nzema East Municipal Security Council (NEMSC) in the Western Region have arrested two Chinese nationals and two Ghanaians at a newly developed Galamsey site at Kwakwukrom.

    Suspects Li Gou Hua, 40years; Wei Hua Fen, 37; Gambo Akpandaa, 29 years and Karim Abdulai, 28 years, were arrested on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, between 1200hours and 18hours.

    Items seized on site were 16 gallons of diesel, one water hose, a fuel pumping motor and others.

    Speaking exclusively to GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent, Hon. Frank Okpenyen who is the Chairman of the Nzema East Municipal Security Council, the council arrested the suspects after a tip-off by some good citizens.

    He added these illegal miners went to the community without any permit.

    “These galamseyers started their operation some weeks ago and in fact, the community members were not informed. This time around nobody will sit aloof to allow any galamseyer destroy our water bodies and lands. We will continue to monitor the activities of galamseyers in Nzema East Municipality,” he said.

    The MCE pledged that these suspects would face the law without any favour.

    He, therefore, seized the opportunity to commend those good citizens who informed the Municipal Security Council about the activities of the Galamseyers at Kwakwukrom.

    He disclosed that three excavators were seen on the site and said efforts are underway to move them from the site.

    The suspects have therefore been handed over to the Regional Police Command for investigations and prosecution.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 4 Chinese nationals deported over galamsey

    A Kumasi High Court has convicted four Chinese nationals for their involvement in illegal mining activities widely known as galamsey on a 40-acre land belonging to Seidu Fanzia School at Adaase within the Obuasi municipality.

    The four; Shi Li Wen, Huang Shen Jun, Li DeHao and Lan Hai Song have been deported for working without required permits as well as using fraudulent means to validate their residence in Ghana.

    They were arrested together with their Ghanaian accomplice, Asamoah Kati after Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe granted an absconding warrant.

    According to the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, “The four Chinese citizens who have all violated sections 23(1) and 35(1, d) of the Immigration Act 2000 (Act 573) of Ghana, found working by prospecting for gold on the disputed site at Obuasi, are to be deported to their country of origin by this court and are hereby deported.”

    He noted that these illegal miners were working under the protection of gunmen.

    Earlier, the four had failed to meet a bail condition of GH₵200,000 each with two sureties and a request by their lawyer, Benjamin Andoh, for variation was thrown out.

    The convicts failed to meet the bail condition of GH¢200,000 each with two sureties. This led the court to order them to submit their passports and work permits for fear of absconding before the final determination of the case.

    The four convicts have been in prison custody since April 19, 2021, until Thursday, June 3, when the court ordered their deportation.

    “The retention slip numbers and dates on which the passports were retained creates much suspicion as to when they applied for renewals of their resident and work permits and when they were arrested at their site on April 19, 2021… I Number 0223059 issued on 08/03/20221. II Number 0223060 issued on 23/02/2021. III Number 0223061 issued on 03/03/2021.”

    “Strangely, slip number 0223060 was issued on February 23, 2021, as the first one. The second to be issued was number 0223061 on March 3, 2021, and the last to be issued was number 0223059, which is the earliest serially but was the last to be issued on March 8, 2021,” the court said.

    Presiding Judge, His Lordship Justice Amedahe blamed officials at the Kumasi office of the Ghana Immigration Service for deliberately accepting applications of the convicts against their mandates.

    He noted that such applications are only done at the National Headquarters.

    He, therefore, called on the Interior Minister to reconsider the use of the discretion of the Immigration officers in granting resident permits to foreigners who arrive in the country on 60 days, B1 visas.

    Meanwhile, the plaintiffs, Borometech Construction Company Limited, Seidu Fanzia School and Samuel Aboagye are seeking compensation and reliefs including the restoration of a mini development of land estimated at GH₵500,000.00.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 3 galamsey operators jailed 45 years by Takoradi Circuit Court

    Three illegal small scale miners popularly known as galamsey operators have been jailed 15 years each by the Takoradi Circuit Court.

    The three convicts; Joseph Donkor, Charles Ewusi and Joseph Paul were also fined a total of GHC 720,000 or in default serve additional two weeks jail term according to a report in the Daily Guide newspaper.

    They were arrested at Cape Three Points in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region in February this year.

    They all pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit crime and for engaging in small scale mining operation without license.

    The Court was presided over by Abigail Animah Asare.

    In her ruling, Justice Abigail Animah Asare noted that the sentence handed down was a minimum in the law books adding that she opted for the lowest sentence because the convicts cooperated and made the work of the court easier.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Galamsey: 401 military men commence the fourth phase of Operation Halt II

    Over four hundred officers of the Ghana Armed Forces have been deployed for the fourth phase of the fight against illegal mining dubbed Operation Halt II.

    In a press release announcing the commencement of the operation, the Ministry of Information said the operation is aimed at removing all persons and logistics involved in mining from water bodies.

    According to the release signed by the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, the new phase of Operation Halt II focuses on the Ankobra River and its tributaries.

    The Ministry thus cautioned the public to stay away from mining in water bodies to avoid any action by the military.

    Read full statement below:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Small-scale miners hints of going to court over galamsey fight if negotiations with government fail

    Abdul Razack Alhassan, the Spokesperson for the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, has said his outfit will definitely seek redress in court over governments measures to clamp down galamsey only if negotiations with the government is not successful.

    He told Joy FM in an interview monitored by GhanaWeb that, they would have to speak to their lawyers to test the law after President Akufo-Addo defended the drastic measures taken by his government to end galamsey operations in the country.

    “We have three arms of government which are the Legislature, Judiciary and the Executive so if that is the position of the Executive that this is the way to go, I think we as Small-scale miners too will talk to our lawyers to test the law, whether what he is saying is true,” he said.

    When asked if the Association will go to court?

    Alhassan responded, “If the need be. We are using all the avenues; we are engaging the government. If it will be necessary for us to go to court, we are ready to go.”

    He disclosed that, currently negotiations are being held between the Association and Lands Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor to address the burning of excavators owned by some of its members during Operation Halt.

    “He has given us the [assurance] that he will engage with that concessioner to see the way forward. That is why I said, we will use all the avenues, when we are exhausted with them and we are not getting the headway, we will move to court.

    “Everything has been cleared to us today to us as small-scale miners because the initial communique we had, the direction was not to burn excavators but today, it has become clear from the President himself that he is ready for any action towards the court,” Alhassan said.

    President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, noted that the state agencies are justified in destroying confiscated excavators from individuals and companies found mining in water bodies and forest reserves despite its ban.

    “I know there are some who believe that the ongoing exercise of ridding our water bodies and forest zones of harmful equipment and machinery is unlawful and, in some cases, harsh.

    “I strongly disagree, and I would advise those who take a contrary view to go to court to vindicate their position if they so wish. That is what the rule of law is all about,” he stated.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Galamsey: Don’t give your lands out; be bold – Dr. Asah Asante charges Chiefs

    Senior Political Science Lecturer, Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, has charged Chiefs in mining areas not to permit any person to do galamsey in their communities.

    There is an ongoing operation by a joint military team comprising Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Navy and Ghana Air Force dubbed “Operation Halt” targeting the persons in mining communities and destroying their equipment.

    Currently, over 200 changfang machines and excavators have been destroyed.

    Speaking on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme, Dr. Asah Asante supported the government’s fight against galamsey but believed it will be successful when the Chiefs effectively play their role.

    Dr. Asah Asante noted that if the Chiefs don’t give their lands out, there will be no galamsey.

    He, therefore, urged the Chiefs to be bold and do the right thing.

    “The Chiefs must stamp their feet and let’s know the lands indeed belong to them. So, they shouldn’t permit any bad thing to happen on their lands and if they are involved too, they should desist from it immediately,” he said.

    Dr. Asah Asante also called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to relent on his fight saying “say it. Do it. If they will vote against, let them”.

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • Galamsey is a leadership crisis – Prof. Joseph Osafo

    Psychology Expert, Professor Joseph Osafo, has waded into discussions over the galamsey menace in Ghana.

    Currently, in Ghana, there is a fierce war against illegal mining, also called galamsey, as a team of Military officers have been authorized to burn all galamsey equipment as well as remove all persons along with river bodies in mining areas.

    Over 200 changfang machines and excavators have been destroyed by the task force.

    Recently, the National Women’s Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kate Gyamfua became a victim to the Military operation dubbed ”Operation Halt” as her excavators were set on fire causing her to weep bitterly in her defence that she wasn’t doing galamsey.

    On the galamsey fight, whereas some people believe the government is using the right approach, there is a school of thought that disagrees.

    Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is a member of the school of thought that disagrees with the government’s approach.

    To him, burning the excavators will yield no results unless “one galamsey overlord, one real architect, an actual financier is arrested and prosecuted”.

    He has suggested that, to end galamsey, the kingpins must be arrested.

    “How come not even one architect behind this galamsey operation has been arrested? To start a galamsey operation, you need millions of Ghana cedis and so the real perpetrators are not those small boys or the youth who are risking their lives…instead of arresting these guys, we should make them an offer for them to lead us to the real kingpins; if we follow the chain, it will lead us to the barons. Unless we get the real perpetrators, we will always come back to square one,” he said in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’.

    Speaking on the same platform, Prof. Joseph Osafo also described the galamsey menace as a leadership crisis.

    He noted that there is no way galamsey activity could be carried out in a community without the notice of a leader in the community.

    To him, like Hon. Ablakwa suggested the fight against galamsey will yield the required results only when the leaders become responsible.

    “The galamsey issue is a leadership crisis. There’s no doubt. Every land is owned by somebody in Ghana . . . Every galamsey site is either in a town, a village or where people inhabit. So, who owns the place? Because wherever a person stays, there is a leader there. There is a Chief, an Abusuapanin, Assemblyman, DCE, Police Commander and so forth; so wherever this (galamsey) is happening, there is leadership there,” he said.

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • Lands Ministry to present proposals for reforms in the mining industry

    The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources will soon table proposals before Cabinet to reform the country’s mining industry.

    Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the sector Minister, who said this at a media briefing in Accra on Wednesday, said the reforms would focus on amending the laws regarding the licensing, issuance of permits, sanctioning and enforcement regimes in the mining sector.

    “In a matter of weeks, we will go before the Cabinet with a set of proposals for amendment and reforms in the mining industry to make the laws more punitive, with the ultimate objective of sanitizing the sector”.

    Mr Jinapor said it had already begun engagement with industry players to enable them to make inputs towards the reforms, adding that, government’s goal was to ensure transparency and integrity in the sector.

    Responding to Mr Kennedy Agyepong, MP for Assin Central’s allegations that, some top government officials were engaging in illegal mining, Mr Jinapor said, he was prepared to talk to Mr Agyepong to disclose their names and deal with it decisively.

    He said the government was battle-ready and prepared to rid the country’s water bodies and forest reserves of persons and logistics involved in illegal mining.

    He said although there had been lots of criticisms and resistance from certain quarters over the military operations on water bodies and forest reserves, the government took that hard decision to protect them from destruction for the sake of the present and future generations.

    The phase three of ‘Operation Halt II’ started from May 14 and ended on May 17, 2021, with the deployment of 561 soldiers of all ranks to the tributaries of River Pra, Birim River, Oda River and River Ofin, which covered Western, Central, Ashanti and Eastern regions.

    The four-day operation, under the command of Brigadier-General Michael Ayisi Amoah, Commanding the Southern Command, led to the destruction of 49 excavators, 228 Changfans(floating platforms), 87 water pumping machines and 76 wooden structures.

    The rest were seven generators, six motorbikes and one hunter’s gun.

    One Chinese national was arrested for engaging in illegal mining and would soon be arraigned before court for prosecution.

    Mr Jinapor said it was the government’s ambition to ensure viable and sustainable mining practices and would work tirelessly towards achieving success in the small-scale mining enterprise.

    Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence and MP for Bimbila, said the 561 all rank military officers were mandated to protect the water bodies and forest cover by riding off any persons and logistics involved in illegal mining.

    He said the soldiers executed their mandate satisfactorily without targeting anyone based on the person’s political colouration

    The Minister said if the nation did not take immediate action against the galamsey menace, the country may lose the Rivers in the southern belt of the country in the next three to four years.

    He said it was imperative for all Ghanaians to collectively deal with illegal mining once and for all.

    Mr Nitiwul gave the assurance that the military operation would be sustained until the water bodies returned to their natural state and trees planted on the mined areas.

    He said the government would not guarantee the safety of those who may return to the rivers and forest reserves to do illegal mining at night.

    He, therefore, cautioned the citizenry to stay away from all “red zone” areas, saying that Government’s primary goal was to sanitize the environment and ensure viable and sustainable mining practices.

    The Minister said, “no amount of public relations efforts or gimmicks employed by the illegal miners would deter the government from fighting the galamsey menace”.

    Source: GNA

  • Galamsey menace: Stop all mining operations for six months – Kwesi Pratt suggests

    Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has called on the government to put all mining activities in Ghana on hold for half a year.

    A joint team of Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Navy and the Ghana Air Force have commenced an operation dubbed ‘Operation Halt’ aimed at ending galamsey.

    Their operation has been sanctioned by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor and Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul.

    This follows the president’s directive to the soldiers to remove all persons and machinery involved in illegal mining.

    To deter the illegal miners, their excavators are seized and burnt by the joint military team.

    Addressing the galamsey menace and the government’s approach to end it, Kwesi Pratt advised the government to stop all mining operations, whether large-scale, small-scale or galamsey, for six months and restrategize to find ways of conducting gold mining appropriately.

    According to him, this method will help to resolve the illegal mining menace.

    “The gold mining should be halted. Whether small-scale or large-scale mining, let us stop it for about six (6) months and patiently put the right measures in place to ensure the gold mining is done in a way that won’t cause any destruction,” he told stand-in host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme, Tuesday.

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • Illegal miners could retaliate, weve to be careful – Analyst

    A security analyst, Adib Sani, has advised the government to reconsider the approach it is currently using in dealing with illegal mining (galamsey).

    He warned the illegal miners could retaliate because a lot of them are armed.

    Adib Sani said he saw several videos where some of these miners are warning the soldiers that they would defend themselves.

    He opined that if things get out of hand, the illegal miners will either through diplomatic or violent means are very high because almost all of them are armed.

    According to him, he thinks that we have to be careful although we are in desperate times.

    He said we have to check the documentation to see which ones are legitimate mining concessions and which ones are not before we take action.

    He wants the community to be involved in the fight against illegal mining.

    He said if we do that fighting the galamsey would be successful.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • 200 soldiers not enough to flush out galamsey – Govt advised

    The Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana has advised the Government to reconsider the number of soldiers deployed to do away with galamsey in mining areas.

    President of the Association, Michael Peprah, reasoned that this 200 personnel cannot cover all the mining areas where water bodies are being polluted as a result of mining.

    Speaking to Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, he explained: “200 soldiers are not enough because we have over 12 major rivers that are all polluted in Ghana. So even if you are deploying these and segmenting them, how many of them can do the work?”.

    Michael shared that in his opinion, deploying the 200 personnel in the first place is a hasty decision even though the motive may be right.

    He believed that the Government should have consulted various stakeholders before executing an operation involving the security personnel.

    “If the galamsey fight is to be won, we need to engage all these people. Some communities do not even know galamsey is illegality and those who are informed sometimes do not care about the damage caused. For government to achieve its objective, it should have carried out sensitization exercises before deploying these soldiers”, he explained.

    Background

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has authorized the Ghana Armed Forces to deploy 200 soldiers to go after all persons involved in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.

    A release from the Information Ministry stated that the move is to ensure that mining within water bodies is immediately stopped. This latest action to fight galamsey comes after the Stakeholder Dialogue on Small Scale Mining on April 14.

    The statement added that the operation commenced on Wednesday, April 28th, 2021, on the River Pra in the Central and Western regions of Ghana.

    Source: Happy 98.9FM

  • Enforce the law on galamsey Abu Jinapor to Western Regional Security Council

    Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has charged the Western Regional Security Council to strictly enforce the laws against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) and related activities in the region.

    He said the law enforcement is a critical aspect of the steps to deal with the galamsey menace hence the National security and the regional Security Council must ensure that they are enforced.

    The Damongo MP said these during an interaction with the members of the Western Regional Security Council Monday, April 26 in Sekondi, the Minister added that no one is above the law in this matter of small scale mining, stressing that there is no colourization in the fight against Galamsey.

    The Minister also called for increased support to curb the menace and commended the Regional minister for taking a bold step in that direction especially on the recent seizure of 16 excavators in the Region.

    He also assured that there is no mining activity in the Mole National Park.

    The Minerals Commission has dismissed claims that permit has been issued for mining in or near the Mole National Park.

    The Commission said the claims are untrue and should be disregarded.

    A statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr Martin Ayisi said “ It has come to the attention of the Minerals Commission that certain Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have alleged that Mining Permits have been issued for mining in or near the Mole National Park in the Savannah Region.

    “This allegation and/or assertion is not the case. No such Mining Permit has been issued for this purpose.”

    “The Commission as the repository of records of all Mineral Rights in Ghana, entreats the General Public particularly CSOs, who are partners and have been working closely with the Commission over the years, to seek clarifications from it before going public.”

    Mr Jinapor said “It is a state agency and I believe that the communique that they have released is what we should abide by the fact remains that there will never be a situation where the exploitation of our natural resources will jeopardize our national asset such as the Mole National Park. That will not happen. The Commission has assured the country that there is no such mining or exploitation taking place to jeopardize the Mole National Park.”

    Source: 3 News

  • Galamsey activities real danger to Ghana’s water bodies – Director

    The Water Resources Commission has uncovered the shocking effects of illegal and unregulated mining activities on the country’s water bodies.

    He said such unregulated mining activities was also costing the Ghana Water Company a substantial amount of money to procure chemicals for water treatment and supply.

    Dr Ben Ampomah, the Director of the Water Resources Commission of Ghana, said illegal mining did more harm than expected over the period to the country’s water resources and must not be allowed to continue.

    He was speaking during a visit of the Sector Minister, Ms Cecilia Dapaah and Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and other authorities to the Western Region to assess the effects of unregulated mining on the country’s natural resources.

    For instance, in 2007, the turbidity level of most waters was around 54 Nephelometric Turbidity unit, that is the unit used to measure the turbidity of a fluid or the presence of suspended particles in water, with colour around 200 HU but the situation had worsened to about 3000 NTU for turbidity and 5000 HU for colour, an expensive venture for water quality management.

    Dr Ampomah said the introduction of the ban on illegal mining between 2013 and 2017 improved watercolour and turbidity but did not last long due to relaxed measures.

    The Director was of the view that enforcing laws regarding unregulated small scale mining would help improve the live-in water bodies and save the country the most cost in water treatment.

    Dr Clifford Braimah, the Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company, noted the need for stakeholders to join forces to address the menace.

    “We do it for ourselves and no one else,” he added.

    Source: GNA

  • ‘Galamsey’ has caused lots of youth to be school dropouts – Kwesi Pratt Jnr

    Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has called on the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor and the general public to vehemently fight the menace of illegal mining in the country.

    Kwesi Pratt bemoaned the activities of illegal miners stressing they have been destroying the water bodies and forest reserves as well as polluting the environment where their activities are based.

    Making submissions on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo”, Kwesi Pratt pointed out how illegal mining, otherwise called galamsey, is impacting the youth of today.

    ”The youth who are to go to school to become our engineers, doctors, good lawyers, Members of Parliament and so forth in the future, today have lost interest in going to school. What are they going to school for? Why would the person spend two, seven to eight or 10/12 years and complete to receive 300 cedis a month when he or she can earn much here (illegal mining)?”, he stated.

    Mr. Pratt asked Ghanaians to have a collective aim in addressing and stamping out illegal mining.

    ”As we have all accepted this is not good, we should come together and device ways to fight against this menace to help develop the country”, he also stressed.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Galamsey: Four Chinese, National security operative arrested

    Six (6) suspected illegal miners including four (4) Chinese nationals have been arrested by the Ashanti regional Operation Vanguard taskforce.

    The Chinese nationals arrested are Li Xuh Jun, 51, Mo Chi Cai, 52, Wei Fun Ham, 45, and Wei Ziyun, 38.

    Yusif Fuseini leader of the four suspects who claimed to be a National Security Operative providing protection to the Chinese illegal mining site was also arrested to assist the investigations.

    The taskforce retrieved one AK 47 assault rifle, a magazine filled with 13 live ammunition, 3 pump action guns with 9 live cartridges during the operation.

    The task force also set ablaze 30 chan fan machines mounted on river Oda and Offin.

    The operations carried out within a two-week period was led by Superintendent Mr. Abraham Apusiyine, Officer commanding the Ashanti Regional Forward Operating Base (FOB).

    “The activities of illegal miners especially those engaged in alluvial mining have been the source of pollution of the River Oda and Offin. Their activities have not only polluted the water bodies, increasing its turbidity and making it costly for the raw water to be treated for public consumption, but have also affected aquatic life as dangerous chemicals are discharged by the illegal miners.

    “River Oda and Offin are the major sources of water for communities within its catchment area and also the people depend on it for farming and fishing. This source of livelihood is threatened. Galamsey is posing a grave danger to echo system and human survival”. DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, Public Relations Officer attached to the Taskforce confirmed to Starr News.

    The suspects arrested are currently on police inquiry bail and assisting police in investigations. He said the suspects will be charged and arraigned before the court of competent jurisdiction for prosecution.

    Source: Starr FM

  • Ghana Armed Forces probes alleged soldiers protecting galamsey operations

    he Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has commenced investigations into allegations of the involvement of some personnel of the service in providing security for illegal mining operations.

    The probe follows reports in a section of the media accusing some personnel of the Armed Forces of providing protection for illegal mining operations in parts of the country.

    GAF in a statement issued and signed by Colonel Eric Aggrey-Quarshie, Director of Public Relations, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the service took such allegations seriously as it did not condone such wrongdoing.

    It said appropriate sanctions would be handed out to any person(s) found culpable.

    The statement assured the public of the Ghana Armed Forces unflinching commitment to the national cause.

    Source: GNA

  • Galamsey and timber merchants destroying cocoa trees Chief Farmer

    Mr Yaw Biredu Boateng, the Chief Cocoa Farmer for New Nsutam in the Eastern Region, has called for the protection of cocoa farms as done for rubber plantations to preserve the trees from destruction.

    He said timber merchants invaded cocoa farms in the area, fell the timber and carted them through the farms resulting in uprooting and destroying some of the cocoa trees.

    He said galamsey operators also used excavators to dig trenches, thereby destroying the trees.

    Mr Boateng said cocoa production was dwindling and if care was not taken, inputs to help increase yield would be a waste through activities of timber companies and galamsey operators

    “Cocoa is the backbone of the Ghanaian economy and therefore the need for ensuring adequate security through laws and regulations for cocoa farms, to help sustain the economy,” he said.

    Mr Boateng said the rubber plantations in the Western Region, to the contrary, were given adequate security, which protected growers from the wanton destruction of their rubber trees.

    Source: GNA

  • Galamsey is not a troubling issue to discuss – Law Professor

    Law Professor, Henry Kwasi Prempeh has suggested the issue of galamsey is not one of the troubling issues the government has to discuss.

    The lawyer in a barrage of questions asked the specific areas of galamsey we should be discussing.

    His response follows the call by President Akufo-Addo in his last State of the Nation Address.

    In his address on Tuesday, the president said Ghanaians must have an open discussion on galamsey since it leads to the devastation of our water bodies.

    “There is one subject about which I believe we, the people, need to have an open conversation, and that is galamsey. Should we allow or should we not allow galamsey, the illegal mining that leads to the pollution of our water bodies and the devastation of our landscape? As I have said often, the Almighty having blessed us with considerable deposits of precious minerals, there would always be mining in Ghana,” President Akufo-Addo said.

    “Indeed, there has always been mining in Ghana. The problem we have is the use of modern technology that leads to the illegal mining methods posing serious dangers to our water bodies and the health of our environment. The pollution of our rivers and water resources has been so acute on the occasion that the Ghana Water Company is unable to afford the distilling of water to make for safe drinking. We have to talk about galamsey. We, who are leaders, owe it to the country to take the subject out of the party-political arena, and have an honest conversation about this menace to our future.”

    In reacting, the law Professor quizzed “What exactly is the moral, philosophical, or policy dilemma here, especially after we have been presented with a catalogue of the social and economic costs associated with the activity? Is this the final act of surrender and capitulation by the constitutionally designated fiduciary? Has the lure of illicit gold defeated our official resolve to fight it?”

    Read his full post below

    What national “conversation” is there to be had about “galamsey”? What are the proposals on the table? Decriminalize it? Denationalize state ownership of minerals? Make profiteering and impunity from participation in the illicit activity non-selective and nonpartisan? Regularize the Chinese role?

    What exactly is the moral, philosophical, or policy dilemma here, especially after we have been presented with a catalogue of the social and economic costs associated with the activity? Is this the final act of surrender and capitulation by the constitutionally designated fiduciary? Has the lure of illicit gold defeated our official resolve to fight it?

    Is our perverse party politics standing in the way, as usual? There are conversations to be had about a whole range of very troubling matters in this land. Galamsey is not one of them. We are either fighting galamsey or we are not. (We are not, of course). What other conversation is there to have about it? Or is Galamsey the New Okada?LikeCommentShare

  • Election 2020: My stance on galamsey won’t change – Akufo-Addo

    President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has disclosed that his stance on illegal mining remains unchanged despite promises by the opposition National Democratic Congress to return seized excavators to the miners.

    Government through a collaboration with the Operation Vanguard Task-force managed to seize mining machinery and equipment including excavators from illegal miners who operated without permission during the Galamsey ban.

    In February 2020, it was reported in the media that the seized excavators and other equipment seized from the illegal mining operators have gone missing. It later emerged, although unsubstantiated that some of the missing excavators had actually been given to NPP loyalists.

    This prompted the flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, to promise that he will retrieve all seized excavators and concessions belonging to the small scale miners that have been allegedly handed to NPP supporters when elected president on December 7.

    But addressing a campaign crowd at Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region, on December 1, 2020, President Akufo-Addo said his fight against illegal mining remains unchanged despite stiff backlash from the opposition.

    The President said, “In the days of our forefathers, they engaged in mining but they did it in a sustainable way which did not disturb the land or water bodies. I will not support illegal mining which will destroy the environment. My decision remains the same, where I am on this fight remains unchanged.”

    He also added that he will not sit down and watch on as activities of illegal miners continue to deteriorate the land.

    Disclosing governments intervention for small scale miners, Nana Addo stated, “We are going to roll out the community mining and my government is working hard on it”.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ayanfuri illegal mine collapse: 8 dead

    Eight persons are reported dead after an illegal mine collapsed and trapped them at Ayanfuri in the Central Region.

    The mine is located at the outskirts of Ayanfuri at a place popularly referred to as Phase Four.

    It was residents in the area who intervened to rescue the victims but they were pronounced dead on arrival at the Dunkwa-On-Offin Government Hospital.

    The remains have since been deposited at the hospital’s morgue.

    They are yet to be identified.

    Sergeant Isaac Evans Etie of the Central Regional Police Public Relations Office explained that the incident happened on Thursday, November 25, 2020.

    He said the police received information about the incident around 7pm.

    He gave the age range of the deceased persons as 24 to 35years.

    He said the police were investigating the incident.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Over 4k galamseyers trained to start operations again

    About 4,500 small-scale miners who were trained at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) have resumed operations under proper supervision and regulation by the government, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has revealed.

    Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, October 21, Mr Asomah-Cheremeh explained that in order to make small-scale mining more efficient, the Ministry to date conducted training on responsible mining practices for 4,500 small-scale miners at UMaT.

    “These trained miners now operate within approved guidelines. To ensure proper supervision of these trained miners, the Ministry has created additional mining offices in the country,” he added.

    “These include one regional, four district and eight satellite new offices. To give locals the opportunity to participate in mining in a well-structured way, the Government is implementing the Community Mining Programme/Scheme by encouraging locals living in mining communities to undertake sustainable small scale mining under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).

    “The thrust of this policy is to create jobs and improve livelihoods in mining communities. It is also to control environmental degradation that has been associated with illegal mining over decades.

    “I am happy to inform you that so far 14 mining schemes have officially been launched to operate, effective June 2020 in the following communities: Nsiana, in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region; Tinga in the Bole District of the Savannah Region; Memiriwa in the Obuasi Municipality of the Ashanti Region; Ayaase in the Obuasi East District of the Ashanti Region; Wioso in the Obuasi Municipality of the Ashanti Region; Adomanu in the Adansi North District of the Ashanti Region;

    “Aketekyieso in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region; Egila/Gwira in the Nzema East Municipal of the Western Region; Akango/Duala in the Nzema East Municipal of the Western Region; Aboso in the Prestea-Huni-Valley Municipal of the Western Region; Bekwai in the Bekwai Municipal of the Ashanti Region; Adinkwaso in the Adansi Asokwa District of the Ashanti Region; Subriso in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region; and Awiebo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

    “The good news about Community Mining is that it is going to generate over 126,000 jobs.”

    Source: 3 News

  • Illegal mining polluting Pra, Offin — Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

    The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has raised concerns over the continues pollution of the Pra and Offin rivers due to illegal mining activities.

    He said, with the rate of contamination of the river, he wonders how much it will cost the government to supply clean water to the residents of Sekondi-Takoradi and surrounding towns and villages.

    Speaking on the floor of parliament, the Majority Leader said, more needs to be done to ensure illegal mining is stopped in these areas.

    “Mr Speaker, if we have to treat the polluted Pra river and Offin river, and purge it of all these chemicals that the galamseyers are using to pollute the river, I am wondering at what cost we are going to do this?” he asked.

    “If we have to fall on river Pra, there will have to be a much more determined effort to stop mining in both Offin and Pra river so that the integrity of the waters could be attested to; other than that Mr Speaker, I am afraid of this venture (Sekondi-Takoradi water treatment plant), as quoted by Daily Graphic

    He made these comments during the debate on the approval of a total amount of €80.3 million loans to finance the Sekondi-Takoradi Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project on the floor of Parliament.

    The loans are Oeke-backed agreement amounting to €70,733,432 and commercial loan amounting to €10,500,000 between Ghana represented by Ministry of Finance and Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft.

    The credit facility is to secure funding for the implementation of the project, which includes; the construction of an intake, a new water treatment plant with its ancillary structure, transmission and distribution pipelines, service reservoirs, standpipes and house connection.

    The beneficiary communities include: Takoradi, Effiakuma, Kwesimintsim, Kojokrom, West Tanokrom, Anaji, Sekondi, New Takoradi, Essikado, Apremdo, Keikum, Ntankoful, Ngyyiresia, East Tanokrom, Effia Village and Fijai.

    The rest are Assakai, Aduembra, Kansaworado, Nkroful, Anoadze, Abuesi, Apowa, Inchaban, Ketan, Dixcove, Estates, Shama, Hwendo, Hotopo and surrounding villages.

    When completed, the project is expected to increase agriculture production, and boost the commercial potential of the twin-city, as well a more respectable front to visitors arriving from neighboring countries.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Majority Leader worried over effect of galamsey on Takoradi Water Expansion Project

    The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has bemoaned the resurgence of illegal mining activities on Rivers Offin and Pra and its threat to the Secondi-Takoradi Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project.

    Speaking on the floor of Parliament during a debate on a loan agreement for the Project, the Majority Leader demanded urgent steps from the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to halt mining activities on Rivers Pra and Offin.

    “I will strongly urge the Minister for Water Resources to have second look and… we have to be much more determined to stop mining operations in both the Offin and Pra River so the integrity of the waters can be attested to.”

    “Other than that Mr. Speaker, I am afraid of this venture,” Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu warned.

    Parliament on Tuesday approved two separate loans of over € 81 million to finance the Secondi-Takoradi Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project.

    The loans are an Oeke-Backed agreement amounting to € 70,733,432 and commercial loan amounting to € 10,500,000 between Ghana represented by Ministry of Finance and Commerzbank Aktingesellschaft.

    The credit facility is to secure funding for the implementation of the project, which includes; the construction of an intake, a new water treatment plant with its ancillary structure, transmission and distribution pipelines, service reservoirs, standpipes and house connection.

    The beneficiary communities include: Takoradi, Effiakuma, KwesimintsimKojokrom, West Tanokrom, Anaji, Sekondi, New Takoradi, Essikado, Apremdo, Keikum, Ntankoful, Ngyyiresia, East Tanokrom, Effia Village and Fijai.

    The project is expected to be completed in 40 months after commencement.

    The Pra and Offin rivers are among the worst hit by illegal mining activities.

    Despite earlier aggression in 2017 from the Akufo-Addo administration to end the illegal mining, the country has made minimal gains on that front.

    As recently as July 2020, the Anti-Illegal Mining Taskforce Operation Vanguard confiscated and destroyed some mining equipment belonging to illegal miners at Dunkwa On-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality in the Central Region.

    Files from GNA contributed to this report

  • C/R: Five dead, 15 in critical condition after illegal mining pit caves in

    Five persons are feared dead whilst fifteen others have sustained severe injuries after an illegal mining pit caved in at Ayamfuri in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central region.

    Citi News sources say the illegal miners were working in an abandoned mining pit between Ayamfuri and Gyaman when the unfortunate incident happened.

    Speaking to Citi News, the Upper Denkyira West District NADMO Director, Mr Isaac Gyasi indicated that the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Dunkwa government hospital morgue.

    “At around 3 pm yesterday [Thursday] we had information that some illegal miners who were operating between Ayanfuri and Gyaman in the Upper Denkyira West had died after the mining pit they were working in caved in.”

    “Rescue team involving the Police and NADMO moved to the area and were able to rescue the 20 illegal miners but unfortunately for them, five persons died in the process,” the Upper Denkyira West NADMO Director told Citi News.

    According to the District NADMO Director, the mining pit belongs to a mining company operating in the area but the illegal miners found their way into the pit to work leading to the unfortunate incident.

    “From what I know, this mining pit belongs to a mining company operating in the area but these illegal miners found their way into the pit to work after it was used by the mining company,” Isaac Gyasi said.

    He noted that the NADMO and the Police will move to the area again today, Friday to continue with the investigation.

    “The bodies of the five persons who died have been deposited at the Dunkwa Government hospital while the fifteen persons who sustained several injuries are being treated,” the NADMO Director added.

    Source: citinewsroom

  • Dont engage in galamsey outside community mining – Chiefs warn

    The chiefs and community leaders in mining districts in the Western Region have vowed to resist illegal mining activities outside the newly introduced Community Mining Programme (CMP).

    They said their promise to keep out illegal mining from the region was their approach to halting the further destruction of the environment.

    They said illegal mining, popularly referred to as galamsey, was not in the interest of the region but in the interest of only a few people.

    Speaking after the launch of the CMP in the Ellembelle District, the Chief of Edwakpole, Nana Asafo Akra II, warned: “Any miner who disobeys us and goes into illegal mining outside the CMP concession area will be arrested and punished severely in the traditional way, in addition to what the law has in stock for him or her, to serve as a deterrent to others.”

    Ellembelle CMP

    A large parcel of land at Awiebo has been designated for the Ellembelle CMP.

    The CMP is a nationwide enterprise intended to formalise small-scale mining in selected communities across mining regions, with each mining district in the country expected to have at least one community mine.

    It is also an initiative to encourage responsible small-scale mining, in line with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2015 (Act 703).

    Curbing disaster

    Nana Akra said over the years, people engaged in illegal mining had destroyed the rich green vegetative cover in mining communities across the country and continued to do so even today.

    “The youth are advised to desist from entering into galamsey work, since the more illegal mining takes place, the more harm is caused to our water bodies and the environment in general,” he said.

    He commended the government for introducing the CMP, adding that traditional rulers were in support and would ensure that it became a success.

    “We intend to curb the needless disasters and destruction of the environment, as well as all other negativities associated with illegal mining activities that benefit only a few,” he said.

    Strategy for CMP

    The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, who launched the programme, commended the chiefs and the people of the Western Region for accepting the CMP.

    “To ensure the successful implementation of the programme, some key strategies have been infused into the CMP scheme to make it work.

    The strategies include the formation of community mining oversight committees, the adoption of the Small-scale Miners Code of Practice and the provision of support services for community miners,” he said.

    Wealth creation

    Mr Asomah-Cheremeh said the CMP was linked to other sectors of the economy in a way that stimulated wealth creation and improved local economies through value creation, particularly within the local communities.

    He said the CMP would ensure community involvement in mining activities, in answer to the legitimate desire by host communities to participate in the mining industry value chain.

    The Ellembelle project currently provides 20,000 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs for the people in the district and adjoining municipalities.
    The Lands and Natural Resources Minister stressed the need for all stakeholders to ensure that the CMP worked for the benefit of the environment and the country.

    “Operations should only take place with the requisite licences and permits from the sector ministry, the Minerals, the Forestry and the Water Resources commissions, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency,” he advised the people, and warned that “miners who will flout the rules will have their licences revoked”.

    Safe operations

    The District Chief Executive for Ellembelle, Mr Kwesi Bonzo, emphasised the importance of having a formalised system, not only to protect the miners but also ensure a safe environment.

    “I can assure you that the community is up for mining in a formalised way, such that it is done in a safe manner and within the laws of the country and for the benefit of all,” he said.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Politicians, MCEs, DCEs, chiefs are involved in galamsey activities – Akufo-Addo


    President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that he is aware some DCEs, MCEs, politicians and chiefs are involved in illegal galamsey activities.

    According to the president, the excuse given by these perpetrators is that the activity gives employment to the youth, however, it is prudent for them to put an end to it.

    “As for the galamsey it is not only the youth who are doing it, MCEs, DCEs, Ministers are involved…Even some of you (chiefs) are involved. Indeed, the activity generates lots of money…no matter what galamsey money is evil so let us all come together to reduce it,” he said.

    The President entreated the Chiefs to employ the youth to rather join the Community Mining Program, get trained and practice safe mining.

    “Galamsey, I know, people are saying that is what is feeding the youth…We have to think of a new job opportunity for the youth.”

    He called on Ghanaians to embrace the Community Mining Initiative which is aimed at to protecting the country’s environment from destruction.

    In this regard, President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, inaugurated a Community Mining Program to create jobs for over 2,000 trained youth in Nzema East Municipality.

    Ending his speech, President Akufo-Addo pledged to ensure a peaceful election and also called on the Chiefs to educate their subjects to be law-abiding before, during and after the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.

    The President of Western Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw V, in his welcome address thanked the President for forgiveness of Sekondi College student who used unpleasant words on the president.

    Ogyeahoho Yaw V stated that the Sekondi College student is their son and did not acted well.

    He called on other students to respect authorities and be focused on their studies to become great personalities in future in Ghana.

    He, therefore, seized the opportunity, to commend President Akufo-Addo for the smooth implementation of the Free SHS flagship programme.

    “We thank you for implementing the Free SHS of which today so many children who are your (President Akufo-Addo) grandchildren are writing their final exams”, he acknowledged.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • A/R: Two small-scale miners trapped to death at Mpatuam

    Two small scale miners have been confirmed dead after a mining pit caved in and trapped them at a site at Mpatuam in the Amansie West District.

    Osei Kwame 54, and Vincent Yaw Asiedu 34, with two colleagues, were prospecting for gold in the pit when the incident happened on Thursday evening.

    Rescuers were able to retrieve the bodies on Friday and Saturday.

    The two others who were also trapped managed to escape and have since been admitted at a hospital.

    Mr Anthony Amankwaa, the assembly member for the area, told the Ghana News Agency that the affected individuals were part of a group engaged in small-scale community mining at the site.

    He said the four were trapped in an uncovered pit left by some earlier miners.

    Another source from the community, however, told the GNA that the four were engaged in illegal mining (galamsey), and had used sand as a fence to block the course of a river, which passed through the area.

    He said after some time the sand could not contain the flow of the river and it caved in and trapped them to death.

    The Nkawie Police Command has, however, confirmed the incident, saying investigations were underway to ascertain the facts.

    Meanwhile, the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Community Hospital at Afari for autopsy.

     

    Source: GNA