A leading member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Kwame Jantuah, has called for a firm, non-negotiable approach to the fight against illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He stressed that Ghana has reached a point where everyone, regardless of political affiliation, must rally behind efforts to end the menace, which is contributing to the pollution and shortage of water across the country.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based GHOne TV on Tuesday, April 22, Mr. Jantuah urged the government to crack down on all complicit mining firms, legal or otherwise, and withdraw their licenses—just as it has done with Akonta Mining.
“Any legal mining firm, the official ones, if they are supporting galamsey in our forest reserves, withdraw their license—because they have no good intention,” he said. “If we find them complicit, we need to stop it.”
Mr. Jantuah lamented the environmental degradation caused by galamsey and the toll it is taking on Ghana’s water supply.
He said it was unacceptable that some parts of the country now go days without running water due to polluted rivers.
“Our water bodies are polluted nowadays. You don’t even get water in our homes. Water is shut three days, four days in a week—and that is a recipe for disaster,” he lamented.
