Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, has promised to fight illegal mining, also known as galamsey without fear or favour.
His resolve, according to him, is borne out the specific instructions given him by President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo.
Mr Jinapor’s focus is, therefore, to reduce the menace which is destroying Ghana’s natural resources to the barest minimum.
“My instruction from the president is that I go there and work hard to ensure that we reduce the incidences of small-scale mining in the country. It’s a big issue in almost every mining country but I want to give a firm assurance that if I get the approval from this House, I’m moving in there to apply the law without fear or favour. If I don’t do that, I will be setting up myself for failure,” Jinapor told the Appointments Committee in Parliament during vetting.
On government’s commitment, he indicated that in spite of challenges, the Akufo-Addo government is bent on winning the galamsey fight.
“In such crusades, you will encounter challenges. But what I can say without a shred of equivocation is that, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is absolutely committed in making an impact in the illegal small scale mining industry. His policies were rolled out in the first term and there were some achievements and some challenges,” he noted.
Hon Abu Jinapor said the President must be praised for his ‘audacious and ambitious’ drive to fight illegal mining.
“The work and effort of President Akufo-Addo in his first term in relation to his effort to sanitize the small-scale industry in our country is perhaps the most audacious and ambitious.
“He ought to be commended for making efforts in dealing with the problem. When the President said he put his presidency on the line for the galamsey fight, he meant it and indeed he walked his talk,” the nominee added.