Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has said that Ghana is not a lawless country for people to do whatever they wish.
He says people have been allowed to destroy the environment because of illegal mining, saying it is something that needs to be rectified before the nation collapses entirely.
His comments come on the back of increasing illegal mining practices in the country which is devastating forest reserves and polluting water bodies.
According to Dr. Opoku Prempeh, who is also known as NAPO, the political parties should end the rhetoric on illegal mining which is also known ‘galamsey’, and demonstrate some commitment to it.
Speaking at the 13th Biennial Delegates’ Conference of the Association of Methodist Men’s Fellowship at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi Sunday, September 15, 2024, he said nobody should be allowed to mine near any water body in the country.
He indicated that the gold deposit in Ghana’s lands are not meant to destroy the environment but rather be used to develop the nation.
“We have to come up with a policy. Certainly, nobody must be allowed to mine, irresponsibly, at any time. Two, no matter where, nobody should be permitted to mine in the river body. Three, we are not a lawless country, that everybody thinks, because of strength, everybody cuts a part of the country and say I’m prospecting for gold.
“We should all live within the law. Small scale mining, and responsible mining, is good,” he said adding that the mineral deposits in the environment are meant to “be used for the development of the country, not for the destruction of the country.”
He urged the church to sit up and speak to the political parties to express real commitment towards the fight against ‘galamsey’.
“So, the church must speak and be responsible, in bringing all presidential candidates, to the round table” and commit to ending the menace.
“It cannot be a one-sided affair. It cannot be one becoming responsible, and lose their election and one becoming irresponsible,” he added.
Meanwhile, he says the political parties should sign a pact to show their commitment to ending the menace.
Galamsey fight: NAPO urges political parties to show commitment by signing ‘anti-galamsey pact’
