President Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo-Addo has said there is the need for an open conversation on the issues of illegal small scale mining (Galamsey) in Ghana.
He said this while delivering his last State of the Nation Address (SoNA) in his first term on Tuesday January 5.
“There is one subject about which I believe we, the people, need to have an open conversation, and that is galamsey,” the president said.
He added “Should we allow or should we not allow galamsey, the illegal mining that leads to the pollution of our water bodies and the devastation of our landscape? As I have said often, the Almighty having blessed us with considerable deposits of precious minerals, there would always be mining in Ghana.
“Indeed, there has always been mining in Ghana. The problem we have is the use of modern technology that leads to the illegal mining methods posing serious dangers to our water bodies and the health of our environment.
“The pollution of our rivers and water resources has been so acute on occasion that the Ghana Water Company is unable to afford the distilling of water to make for safe drinking. We have to talk about galamsey.
“We, who are leaders, owe it to the country to take the subject out of the party-political arena, and have an honest conversation about this menace to our future.”
By Loretta Fafa Anyidoho|3news.com|Ghana
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