Democracy hub, organisers of the Fixthecountry demonstration years ago are back with another.
This time, the demonstration is #StopGalamseyNow, which is urging action against the devastating effects of illegal mining (galamsey).
The objective is to put pressure on the government to end the damage caused to the environment by galamsey.
On the second day of the protest, which was preceded by a vigil, the protesters poured onto the streets with the Jubilee House as their destination.
The march started at the Accra Mall and at the Jubilee House, the demonstrators are expected to present a petition to President John Mahama.
Earlier, President Mahama said his government is doing everything possible to end the galamsey. He however, indicated that a state of emergency can only be declared as a last resort.
“I’ve been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because we’ve not exhausted the powers we even have without a state of emergency. We have the opportunity to arrest anybody, to confiscate any such thing. The laws for forest protection and all that give us enough powers to be able to act,” he said.
The Convenor of the #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, underscored the importance of the protest. He said, the state of mergency need to be declared immediately.
“We are already in a state of emergency if you consider the extent of devastation that galamsey has caused,” he told journalists during the protest.
“How we deal with it is what people are calling for,” he added.
The effect of Illegal mining is far reaching, with implication for food security, potable water supply and environmental degradation.
