The Vice-President of the Christian Service University College (CSUC), Dr. Stephen Banahene has proposed to the Government of Ghana to adopt a wholesale ban on mining activities in the country before embarking on all other thoughtful strategies, Purefmonline.com reports.
He said the current situation feels traumatic seeing the government stacked with its own deployed ‘galamsey’ oppression tactics and still been overridden by the menace.
“All that is done so far doesn’t seem like a fight to me. It takes only a word to stop it and later give attention to related matters. If I am an Advisor to the government, I will be recommending that everybody should be given one week to vacate any mining site whether licensed or not.” He made this remark on Kumasi-based Pure FM in an interview with Kwame Adinkrah
Dr. Banahene vividly signalled that after the whole ban directive is executed, all local development authorities as well as traditional leaders can then be engaged in a fault-finding conversation to help streamline matters bothering on the improper way of mining.
“When this is done, all MMDCEs who are unable to speak truth to occurrences within their own jurisdiction will mean there is either a deliberate action to turn a blind eye or rather shirk their responsibilities regarding the menace, if not so, they are to come to terms with every bit of instances happening right under their very eyes.”
“I am calling for a peaceful space to allow us conduct a full exploration into the reality facing us. The situation now is not having a better appeal. We are rather experiencing extended damages to water bodies, lands and natural resources with impunity.”
He again maintained the emphasis that the porous system starring us in this instance has allowed for general untidiness among miners whether legal or illegal hence the inevitability for a blanket prohibition.
Dr. Banahene approved of this procedure as the methodology needed beforehand to permit for a full roll-out of stringent structures and measures to guide the continuation of smooth mining in the country.
Source: Purefmonline.com II Hayford Tabi II 2022
