The Okyehene Amoatia Ofori Panyin, the Chief of the Akyem Abuakwa traditional area gave a major speech on environment in the United States of America amidst his own struggles with illegal mining in his backyard.
The Okyenhene gave the speech on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston on the topic Environment and Climate Change: Past, Present and Future.
“To think that the world will soon become uninhabitable is scary. It will have an incredible impact on our children, leaving them with far shorter lives than today, and it cannot be business as usual,” he said in his address.
The Chief has been fighting, threatening and warning chiefs in the Abuakwa Traditional area to stay off activities of illegal mining popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’, or face demotion and destoolment.
His speech failed to make any noticeable impact in Ghana neither was it noticed or discussed apart from lone Graphic Publication and social media post by the Palace.
Environmental watchers say not much has been achieved in the fight against illegal mining despite the fights waged by traditional leaders such as the Otumfuo and the Okyehene.
The Okyehene once said the continuous involvement of chiefs aiding illegal miners in their various traditional areas has become a source of worry for him which needs urgent and punitive sanctions to preserve the environment and water bodies for the next generation.
Recently, addressing Chiefs at a council of state meeting at the Ofori Panin Fie in Kyebi, the Okyehene warned that any chief found culpable will be destooled or demoted.
“We are united by ecology, we need to respect nature, our forefathers engaged in mining, but not in the manner we are doing now, they were not struck down by constant disease outbreaks. They lived to be 85, 90 years and above. We are living longer, but we are getting sick because of these activities”.
“The mercury used in galamsey activities is having implications on our health, stop the illegal mining, any chief who engages in galamsey will be destooled or demoted,” he warned.
Mynewsgh.com