Albert Dwumfour, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has urged all presidential candidates of the various political parties to make a public commitment to combat illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as ‘galamsey’.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, Mr. Dwumfour made several critical demands that the GJA considers essential to eradicating the menace.
Key among these demands is for the President to declare a state of emergency over water bodies and authorize the military to remove any individuals engaged in illegal mining within those areas.
Additionally, Mr. Dwumfour called for an immediate cessation of mining activities within 100 meters of rivers and buffer zones, as well as the repeal of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which regulates some mining activities.
He emphasized that political parties must demonstrate their commitment by publicly endorsing these demands, warning that the nation is at risk of severe environmental degradation if decisive actions are not taken.
“All presidential candidates in the upcoming elections must publicly affirm their total support for these crisis measures. If they fail to do so, it shows they do not have the nation’s interest at heart and are unfit to lead,” he asserted on September 11.
Mr. Dwumfour further stated that in two weeks, the demands would be revisited to evaluate any progress, with appropriate actions to follow if necessary.
Source: Adomonline
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