The National House of Chiefs has said it is in support of efforts by the Akufo-Addo-led government, to sanction appropriately, persons engaged in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in the country.
Speaking at a meeting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo held with Chiefs and Municipal and Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Kumasi, Wednesday, 5 October 2022, the President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, stressed the negative impact of illegal mining on the environment.
Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi further stressed the threat galamsey poses on revenue mobilisation in the country and the import of government’s role in the fight against the menace.
“Your relentless war against forest degradation and illegal mining in Ghana is of great importance to Ghanaians especially we the chiefs.
“The effects of illegal mining on the environment threaten the survival of water bodies, farmlands, cocoa industry and even encouraging school dropouts [and] this undermines the revenue mobilisation drive in the country.”
He added: “In view of this development, [the Chiefs] are solidly behind your administration to apply the appropriate sanctions against persons who are engaged in the practice of illegal mining irrespective of their status.”
