"Declare state of emergency in galamsey-affected areas" – Samuel Jinapor to NDC government

Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called on the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration to honour its own promise of declaring a state of emergency in districts affected by illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey.’

According to the Damongo lawmaker, the NDC, while in opposition, supported calls from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the declaration of a state of emergency in mining areas and went a step further to commit to it in their manifesto.

He says now that the party is in power, the time has come for them to walk the talk.

“The opposition at the time supported Civil Society’s call and went a step further to commit and promise that when voted into office, they would declare a state of emergency in the mining districts of our country,” Jinapor stated.

“We should hear from them. They should come out and say we will impose a state of emergency at such and such time, or we will not impose a state of emergency because of A, B, C reasons. But not to say anything and to leave it hanging, I think, is not a proper way of proceeding,” he added.

Mr. Jinapor’s comments come amid renewed pressure from Civil Society groups for the government to take drastic action against the galamsey menace.

Recently, the Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Ken Ashigbey, reiterated the Coalition’s demand for the declaration of a state of emergency in areas ravaged by illegal mining.

Mr. Ashigbey believes such a move would empower authorities to more effectively tackle the crisis.

“We still demand the imposition of a state of emergency in the illegal mining fight. We also need to put in place a system where we can track all active excavators in Ghana,” he said.

He urged the government to trace the ownership and funding of excavators used in illegal mining by tracking their chassis numbers and making public the names of importers.

Similarly, the Executive Director of environmental group A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bossu, raised the alarm over the increasing encroachment of forest reserves by illegal miners.

According to him, over 44 forest reserves have been affected, contrary to official figures.

"A lot of the forests are experiencing illegal mining, eating away the forests. We have more than 44 forest reserves affected by illegal mining,” Bossu stated.

He acknowledged the enormity of the problem, saying the current government inherited a deep-rooted issue. “I sympathise with them because it gives them a lot of work to do,” he said.

With growing environmental degradation and public concern, Samuel Abu Jinapor’s call is expected to intensify pressure on the government to take concrete and urgent action.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith