The President of the National Concerned Small-Scale Miners Association, Michael Kwadwo Peprah, says the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is finally showing genuine political will in the fight against illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Michael Pepreh said on Inside Pages on Metro TV on Saturday, October 4, that he was encouraged by the government’s renewed commitment, especially after President Mahama’s engagement with civil society groups and small-scale miners on Friday.
“I think the new thing we can attest to is the goodwill and the political will government is showing in this galamsey fight,” he said.
“Whether you are his appointee or politically affiliated person, they are not going to condone people who destroy our forest reserves. That’s something we can attest to.”
According to him, the government’s recent efforts, led by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, have significantly reduced mining activities in protected forest areas.
“All the forest reserves that small-scale miners used to know of have been cleared,” he said. “Even though some still try to return, the nine-month effort is showing results, and we applaud the Minister for that.”
Mr Peprah said while some civil society groups have called for a state of emergency to deal with the menace, he believes better law enforcement, not new emergency powers is what Ghana needs.
“The only problem we face as a country is enforcement,” he said.
“If you can enforce the existing laws, there’s no need to call for any state of emergency. We support government’s move to declare forest and river areas as security zones and urge the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to work with sharpness and firmness.”
The small-scale miners’ leader also expressed support for the reintroduction of the “blue water guards,” a government-backed task force to protect water bodies from illegal mining.
He, however, cautioned against politicising the galamsey fight.
“This fight is a collective effort. We shouldn’t bring politics into it,” he said.
“People who want to mine should be allowed to do it responsibly, and those destroying our forests should be dealt with.”
He stressed that small-scale mining plays a major role in Ghana’s gold production and the economy.
“Small-scale mining is now producing the largest amount of gold in Ghana, almost three tonnes a week,” he revealed.
“Government is making about $350 million every week from gold exports. It’s employing a lot of youth. We can’t kill these people; we must help them mine sustainably.”
Mr. Peprah also backed President John Dramani Mahama’s proposal to send leaders of small-scale mining groups abroad for training in responsible mining practices.
“The idea is laudable,” he said.
“Mining evolves. In South Africa, people even mine the belly of rivers without destroying them. They divert the river temporarily and restore it after. The problem in Ghana is methodology. If we learn new techniques, we can mine without destroying our water bodies.”
He noted that similar initiatives in the past such as government-sponsored trips to China for training had been useful and should be continued.
“It’s a good idea if government takes small-scale miners to Australia to learn new methods,” he said.
“We can come back and apply it here so our water bodies can be saved.”
Mr Peprah urged all stakeholders to support the government’s current efforts, saying the galamsey fight should not be seen as a political battle but a national responsibility.
