President Akufo Addo says he will not relax the enforcement of the ban on illegal mining despite promises and criticisms by the largest opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC).
The opposition party led by its flagbearer ex-President John Mahama has promised among other things to grant pardon to jailed illegal miners and release their seized excavators to them.
Addressing a rally at Manso Nkwanta, a mining community in the Ashanti Region, President Akufo Addo said he’ll not bow to pressure to soften his stance on illegal miners.
“I can turn a blind eye to activities that are destroying our natural resources and water bodies. I don’t have the power to say mining cannot be done in Ghana and I’ve not even said so. Our forefathers were into mining but they did not destroy the land as is being done now. That is what I’ve said and we are bringing in measures to streamline mining in the mining sector. Community mining is the way to go and my government is working to ensuring that we get it done. Nobody in the mining sector will lose their job, don’t listen to anybody who says when he comes galamsey will be done anyhow and uncontrolled.”
President Akufo Addo announced the ban on illegal mining two years ago and further rolled out many measures to enforce the ban in a bid to reclaim degraded lands.
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