The National Communications officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi has said the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) cannot fight the illegal small-scale mining menace (Galamsey).
To that end, he is calling on Ghanaians to vote our the NPP.
In a post on his X platform, Sammy Gyamfi said “If the NPP could not fight Galamsey in 2,805 days (i.e since 7th January 2017) with Operation Vanguard, GALAMSTOP etc., they can certainly not fight Galamsey in 86 days whether or not a state of emergency is declared. Ghanaians should simply declare a state of emergency on the NPP for destroying our water bodies, forest reserves and lands and vote them out on 7th December 2024.”
Meanwhile, the National Executive and, indeed, the entire membership of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) has added its voice to the call on the government by Organized Labour and other civil society organizations for the immediate ban on galamsey.
As a union of traders in the country with interest in driving economic development and sustainability in Ghana, they said that they feel it a duty as well as a shared responsibility to also ensure that the natural resources of the country are judiciously used and preserved for future generations to also benefit.
From the recent discourse that has taken over the media landscape, GUTA said, it is a very clear indication that enough is enough for galamsay in this country.
Although small scale mining has been going on for decades, it is now apparently clear that the country has come to a tipping point. The influx of foreign entities, especially, the Chinese with their heavy machinery have degraded the sector for the worse, a statement issued said.
“We are of the strong view that if nothing is done urgently about the situation, the country may not be able to recover from the devastating effect of illegal mining. In this regard, GUTA calls on the President of the Republic to declare a state of emergency on the matter as soon as possible to ensure that every resource is given the needed attention and direct the fight for complete eradication of the scourge.
“It is our fervent hope that the President would heed to the numerous calls and act decisively to end the menace before his tenure of office ends which would be a great legacy for him,” GUTA said in a statement.
