The President of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UG-UTAG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, has expressed strong distrust in the government’s commitment to fighting illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He asserts that, the government has shown no concrete actions to tackle the issue, despite ongoing discussions.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday after UTAG declared an indefinite strike starting October 10, 2024, Prof. Gyampo stated that the government has failed to fulfill its promises, citing previous deployments of military personnel to mining areas with no visible outcomes.
“The point has been the lack of trust… they are more focused on the upcoming elections,” he said.
The strike, supported by an overwhelming vote from UTAG members, is in response to the government’s perceived inaction on illegal mining.
Prof. Gyampo emphasized that a temporary ban on galamsey would have averted the strike but criticized the leadership of Organised Labour for calling off a planned nationwide strike without consultation.
“The main issue is the lack of trust. We met with the government in September and informed them that we would take action if nothing was done about the problem by the end of the month. Some of the discussions we’ve had with the government behind the scenes give the impression that the government is not interested in tackling the issue, especially considering the timing as they are more focused on the upcoming elections.
“Simply saying things behind the scenes and participating in a roundtable discussion to list interventions does not make me trust them. Politicians know what needs to be done, but they won’t do it unless we threaten to go on strike. We can’t trust them when they say they will do something but haven’t made efforts to actually implement it. This is not the first time the military has been deployed to mining areas, yet nothing has come of it.”
He added that, UTAG would continue with its action until the government demonstrates genuine commitment to addressing galamsey.
Source: Adomonline
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