The Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Kofi Buah, has criticized the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s efforts to combat illegal mining (galamsey), describing them as a “failure.”
In 2017, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo vowed to tackle illegal mining (galamsey), even stating that he was putting his presidency on the line. However, the current state of the issue in the country remains far from promising.
During his vetting at Parliament today, the minister-designate acknowledged that the previous government made early attempts to tackle the escalating issue of illegal mining, including the imposition ban on mining activities in certain areas.
“It’s true the previous NPP administration started very well in combating galamsey. There was a ban on mining, initially for six months, later extended to nine months. But at the end of the eight years, the outcome is what we all know: degraded lands, polluted water bodies, and wanton destruction of forest reserves.”
source: Ghana/ Starrfm.com.gh/103.5/Deborah Amuzu
