Illegal miners face 15 – 20 years imprisonment

• The issue of galamsey remains a major challenge in Ghana

• Environment Minister has reiterated that iIllegal miners will face the law if found guilty

• They may spend between 15 to 25 years in prison

Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, has cautioned illegal small scale miners popularly known as galamsey operators to desist from the act or face a jail term of between 15 to 25 years if found guilty.

He stated that this is in accordance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2016 which has been amended.

Speaking at the World Environment Day celebration held at Asante Juaben in the Ashanti Region over the weekend, the minister said it’s about time everyone cared about the environment to save it from further destruction.

He said, “Let me remind all, that the Minerals and Mining Act of 2016 has been amended and one can serve between 15 and 25 years’ imprisonment if found guilty by the courts for galamsey.

“We must move from a generation of environmental free riders to a generation of ethical utilisation of resources which impact on the environment,” Dr Afriyie added.

He also noted that the ministry with the support of its development partners invested about GH¢50 million to restore the ecological system in the Northern Savannah area.

This, he said is to make it vegetative again.

“The ecosystem in our part of the world is depleting at an alarming rate due to the over exploitation and unsustainable extraction of resources from the natural environment,” he said.