Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has called for a unified, bipartisan approach in tackling the growing menace of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, stressing that the issue affects all Ghanaians regardless of political affiliation.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, November 8, he noted that the impact of galamsey on the environment, water bodies, and livelihoods is a national crisis that demands collective commitment from both the ruling party and the opposition, cautioning against any attempt by political actors to exploit the fight for partisan gain.
“As a person, I am not going to favour any approach by my own political party to seek political advantage out of a determined fight to end galamsey because the impact is collective. The fight has to be approached as a bipartisan effort, driven to end this because the impact is collective,” he said.
Mr. Ahiagbah underscored that the ongoing environmental destruction caused by galamsey continues to threaten the country’s water resources, farmlands, and food security. According to him, the fight against illegal mining should not be viewed as a contest between political parties, but as a shared moral and national responsibility.
He urged political leaders, traditional authorities, and local communities to rally behind the state’s efforts to curb the menace, warning that failure to do so could have dire long-term consequences for future generations.
As part of efforts to fight the menace, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its clampdown on illegal mining activities. The task force recently returned to the Eastern Region for a major operation in the Birim North District, which led to multiple arrests and the seizure of mining equipment and cash.
During the operation, five individuals, including a foreign national, were apprehended for their alleged involvement in illegal mining. The task force also impounded heavy-duty machinery and recovered substantial sums of cash and other mining-related materials from the site.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
