Dr. Anthony Kwesi Aubynn, a former Chief Executive of the Ghana Minerals Commission, has asked government to repeal the Legislative Instrument (L.I) which grants permit for mining in forest reserves.
In November 2022, the government of Ghana, introduced the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462), which according to ndfwestafrica.org, was passed controversially and clandestinely, to provide statutory procedures for mining in forest reserves and remedial actions for mitigating the impacts of such actions.
According to Dr. Aubynn, the law, despite the provisions in it ensuring the forest reserves will not be destroyed, has not been helpful to the country, and has rather been detrimental to the environment.
Speaking at Media General’s Anti-galamsey forum on the theme; The Galamsey Fight, Beyond the Talk, What Next?, he said “we know the way to address it but have deliberately decided to talk about it. We have become a talk shop.”
He questioned why people are mining on water bodies when the constitution clearly abhors that. The Minerals expert urged the President to take a cue from ongoing discussions and act upon it, by firstly repealing the L.I. and banning small-scale mining to ensure the environment is safe.
“I believe the President is listening so he will take some of the comments we make in a positive way. The L.I. said only 2% of our forests will be allowed in some way and there were some rigorous processes to go through before being granted the concession.
“We are not being sincere to ourselves. That law must be repealed,” he said Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at the Executive Theatre of Media General.
“It is inimical to our environment, our well-being, so please, Executive, go and repeal that law,” he added.
The fight against galamsey has been abandoned by the government leaving citizens to stage a protest to draw the government’s mind on the menace which has caused widespread environmental destruction in the country.
Civil advocacy group Democracy Hub, organised a three-day protest against the government which escalated into a clash with the police leading to the arrest of protestors, including a minor, 10-year-old, amid growing unrest over illegal mining and economic hardship.
Many have criticised the police for the manner with which they handled the protestors, with private legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu, calling for the resignation of the IGP.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Ghana Police Service, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, indicated after the arrests that, the police picked up the demonstrators because their assembly was unlawful, and the officers’ attempt to maintain order caused the clash between them.
“The demonstrators engaged in acts of lawlessness, damaging state property and obstructing traffic,” Ansah-Akrofi told the media, adding that “they disrupted the peace. Those responsible will face justice.”
Meanwhile, the suspects have been detained into custody for two more weeks, something many have condemned and described as out of place.
Franklin Cudjoe questions Bawumia & NAPO’s silence on ‘galamsey’ activities
