Story by, Nsor Paul Mensah
The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) urges Government for Immediate Withdrawal of all licenses that have been granted for mining concessions that span across water bodies in Ghana.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition and Co-Chair of the CSOS SDGs Platform, raised serious concerns about the alarming levels of illegal mining popularly known as galamsey and its devastating impact on the country's efforts to achieve the SDGs,
Mrs Narteh stated that, the illegal Mining (galamsey) is undermining all aspects of the SDGs, jeopardizing rural livelihoods, public health, food security, and the sustainability of natural resources.
She called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take swift and decisive action by revoking Legislative Instrument (LI) 2426 and withdrawing all licenses for reconnaissance, prospecting, exploration, and mining in forests and protected reserves.
The platform also urged the government to enforce existing laws against illegal mining, prevent mining activities in water bodies and forest reserves, and fully implement the buffer zone policy to protect natural
Mrs. Narteh called on all CSO members and affiliates to back the strike, stressing the importance of collective action to compel the government to protect the environment and ensure sustainable development.
For his part, the convenor of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey revealed the dire consequences of galamsey on both human health and the environment, that it can cause a sharp increase in renal diseases, spontaneous abortions, and birth defects, while water bodies continue to be destroyed, and jobs in the fishing industry are rapidly disappearing.
He described the situation as worse than the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized the government's response as insufficient.
He urged the President to invoke Article 31 and declare a state of emergency to address the crisis urgently.
According to him, the government's proposals to tackle galamsey have been inadequate, and without concrete action, the country faces grave consequences.
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Galamsey's impact is wide-reaching, affecting the environment, human health, and the economy. The time for dialogue has passed. We need decisive action now to save our nation from the brink of environmental collapse," Ing. Kenneth.