The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has called on chiefs and traditional leaders to take a leading role in the battle against illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
He emphasized that his focus is not on replacing small-scale miners associated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with those from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but rather on a steadfast commitment to eliminating the galamsey problem.
In his first meeting with the Western Regional House of Chiefs in Sekondi, Armah-Kofi Buah shared that the government intends to involve chiefs in the mining licensing process.
He also urged the chiefs to lend their support to the fight against galamsey to ensure its success.
“As a son of the soil, I have come here to seek your blessings in navigating the ministry and to ask for your utmost support to help us reset this nation for good and for generations yet unborn.”
“If we’re to succeed in our fight against illegal mining and against the degradation of our forests and our water bodies, it must be supported and led by the chiefs and traditional authorities,” said Armah-Kofi Buah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ellembele.
The chiefs commended Armah-Kofi Buah for his respectful leadership and demeanor, urging a reassessment of the Community Mines concept to create a truly community-owned mining model.
Such a model would enable local communities to take control in preventing the destruction caused by illegal mining.
