The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammad, has likened illegal mining, otherwise called “galamsey”, to an act of terrorism.
He vowed the government’s determination to deal ruthlessly with perpetrators, irrespective of their political affiliations.
“We’ll not spare anyone involved in this evil including our NDC members caught in this act,” he warned.
Dr Murtala Muhammad, speaking at a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, said it behooved on every Ghanaian to join the battle against illegal mining, saying; “It’s a moral battle to protect Ghanaian lives.”
This follows an interim report issued by an 18-member Working Committee set up by the government last month to review the current small-scale mining licensing regime and recommend a comprehensive strategy to tackle the illegal mining menace.
Dr Murtala Muhammad said: “This fight we’re waging is a moral fight. It is a fight for our survival as a people taking into consideration the dangers that are ahead of us if we fail to act”.
The Minister observed that the illegal mining scourge was a multi-faceted challenge and, therefore, required a multi-faceted approach to surmount it.
“We’ll not spare anybody engaging in terrorism on our land. Those hiding behind political clothing will be exposed,” he assured.
He said the government would provide alternative livelihood programmes for individuals previously involved in illegal mining.
The Minister urged the civil society organisations and the media to continue sensitising the public on the dangers of galamsey .
He emphasised the need to adopt best environmental practices to safeguard the water bodies and forest reserves.
Earlier, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah announced the revocation of all small-scale mining licenses acquired after the December 7,2024.
To that end, a Technical Review Committee has been constituted to audit and validate all small-scale mining licenses within two months.
“Any licensee that fails to comply with the direct to validate the license will automatically lose it,” Mr Armah-Kofi Buah added.
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