The Presidential Candidate of the Movement for Change, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has reiterated his dedication to tackling illegal mining widely known as galamsey, by calling for life imprisonment as a punishment for offenders.
He also proposed a drastic one-year ban on all forms of small-scale and community mining, whether legal or illegal, as part of a bold strategy to combat the menace.
The move is aimed at restoring Ghana’s river bodies and forest reserves.
“Impose a complete ban for one year on small-scale, community mining, whether legal or illegal, within one year we can clean all our river bodies…The introduction of new legislation and regulations will impose a complete ban on any form of mining in river bodies and forest reserves, With associated sanction regimes including life imprisonment for the violation of these new laws,” he stated.
Speaking at an Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) encounter in Accra on October 1, he explained that tougher penalties are crucial to deterring offenders.
“If it’s just a 10-year sentence, the money they make from galamsey will make that punishment insufficient. They’ll serve the time, come back, and continue,” he stated.
Mr Kyerematen urged the nation to take a firm stance on illegal mining, stating, “We have to be serious about how we deal with galamsey.”