Dr. Ekua Amoakoh, the 2024 NPP manifesto spokesperson on Health, has criticized Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, over his proposal to empower chiefs in the fight against galamsey.
According to the Minister, the environmentally destructive activity seems unstoppable because democracy has rendered traditional rulers powerless.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based GHOne TV’s State of Affairs, he noted that chiefs could summon illegal miners and impose strict sanctions if given back those powers.
Currently, he explained that illegal miners often bypass traditional rulers by obtaining permits directly from government agencies, leaving chiefs unable to intervene even when mining activities threaten their communities.
“Can you imagine if chiefs were given the power to summon people mining illegally in their jurisdictions? Right now, a miner gets a letter from the Minister of Lands, enters the chief’s area, and starts digging. The chief calls him, and he refuses to come. What can the chief do?” he asked.
However, according to the NPP communicator, Ghanaians expected a completely new approach from the NDC government, given their previous criticism of the immediate past administration over galamsey.
“Ahmed Ibrahim’s statement about involving chiefs in the fight against galamsey is nothing new.
“With all the noise the NDC made, we expected a different approach to the fight against galamsey,” she said on GHOne TV.
Dr. Ekua Amoakoh further criticized the government for failing to deliver on its promise to repeal the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 (L.I. 2462).
“The NDC said they’ll revoke the L.I. for mining in forest reserves, but it’s now just an amendment,” she noted.
