The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) says it has not taken an official position on calls for a state of emergency to be declared over illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Deputy Media Relations Officer of GoldBod, Zainab Alhassan, disclosed this in an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Wednesday, September 17.
Her remarks come after some stakeholders urged the government to declare a state of emergency to curb the menace, following President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comment that such a move should only be considered as a last resort.
“For now, we have not decided on whether to go for or against. Some of these issues are so sensitive that if you rush to take certain decisions, you may end up taking the right or wrong decision,” she stated.
She added that GoldBod is maintaining a neutral position until further clarity emerges.
“For now, we can’t say we are tilting towards what the general public is requesting or we’re tilting towards what the government is yet to decide on. GoldBod doesn’t have a stance as far as declaring a state of emergency is concerned. For now, we are playing neutral,” She said.
