Convener of the Media Coalition against Galamsey, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey has called on Ghanaians to show their revulsion against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, by wearing red bands on Thursday, October 10 to show their seriousness.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, October 9, he said it is time for the coalition to put pressure on the government to fight the menace.
“Tomorrow, we should express our revulsion for galamsey by wearing red bands to make sure that the government follows through on its promises, particularly in terms of revoking illegal mining permits,” he stated.
Dr. Ashigbey urged all citizens to participate, emphasizing that this visible act of protest would show support for the government’s efforts to tackle illegal mining.
This call to action comes after Organized Labour on Wednesday suspended its planned nationwide strike scheduled for October 10, which was initially aimed at pressuring the government to address the galamsey issue.
The suspension followed a meeting with government officials, where the administration promised enhanced measures to combat illegal mining.
Joshua Ansah, Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), announced the decision to suspend the strike, noting that President Akufo-Addo had instructed the Lands Minister to submit a request to Parliament for the revocation of L.I. 2462, which regulates certain mining permits.
Commenting on the government’s promise on the L.1 2462 revocation, Dr Ashigbey noted that is important that the President issues an Executive Instrument to revoke all the permits issued for people to mine.
“We are going to write to the President to revoke all of these permits. We will also write to the EPA to make sure that they don’t sign any permits for these people that the Minerals Commission have given under the L.I 2462.”
He further called on both NPP and NDC presidential candidates, as well as parliamentary candidates in mining areas, to publicly support the government’s anti-galamsey measures.