The President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, has issued a four-week ultimatum to the government to end illegal mining (galamsey) across the country.
He said the government’s failure to do so would compel the chiefs in the region to reclaim their lands.
Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, who doubles as the Dormaahene, said this when the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, paid a courtesy call to the House of Chiefs.
“We’re giving this incumbent government one month to use legal means to stop people involved in this Galamsey. The government should deploy police and soldiers into the forests to stop them.
“If the government fails to do this, the land is ours, we will just reclaim it and we won’t allow any sort of mining to take place,” he said.
This comes after recent calls from numerous individuals and organisations to ban illegal mining popularly known as galamsey due to its devastating effects on Ghana’s water bodies.
On September 6, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), together with other health unions and associations called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to immediately ban all small-scale mining operations, both legal and illegal. The group expressed deep concern over the destruction of Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies caused by mining activities.
They emphasized that this environmental harm poses serious threats to public health and the nation’s future.
Additionally, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has called for an immediate and complete ban on all forms of galamsey, and general mining in forest reserves, farms, and rivers.
In a strongly worded statement issued on September 9, 2024, UTAG warned that if the government does not impose the ban by the end of the month, it will embark on a nationwide strike in collaboration with other labour unions.
Citing alarming statistics, UTAG stated that illegal mining activities have devastated Ghana’s environment and economy.
The statement noted that if galamsey continues at its current rate, the country could be forced to import potable water within six years.
Cocoa production, a key pillar of Ghana’s economy, has also dropped by 45% this year, with illegal mining costing the economy an estimated $2.3 billion annually.