Arrest, prosecute illegal miners …President Mahama directs 3 ministers to take action

President John Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Ministers of Lands and Natural Resources, Interior, and Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to arrest and prosecute any person or group of persons engaged in illegal mining anywhere in the country.

Similarly, the government, President Mahama said has not issued any lease to anybody to mine in any forest in the country and any person found engaged in the act must be dealt with in accordance with law.

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President John Mahama (left) swearing in the ministers

“Let me state categorically that this government has not given any person or group of persons any authority to carry out any form of mining in forest reserves as recently reported.

He gave this directive at the Presidency in Accra on Thursday when he swore into office 14 ministers made up of six sector ministers and eight regional ministers.

According to President Mahama it shall be the policy of his government to ban the issuance of leases for mining in all forest reserves in the country.

In this vein, he said the government would move promptly to revoke all leases issued for the same purpose under the previous administration.

“I also need to state that no member of this government is permitted to engage in any form of small scale mining. Any such persons will face sanctions which shall be swift and severe,” he stated.

Going forward, the President Mahama said his government intends to call a stakeholder consultation on the menace of galamsey to forge a broad consensus on the measures the government wants to implement to preserve Ghana’s environment from wanton destruction

The measures, he said would include a river guard which would employ youth from communities affected by illegal mining, cleaning and eliminating toxic substances from the water bodies, reclaiming mined out lands, and training small scale miners in sustainable mining practices.

He said steps had been taken to establish the Ghana Gold Board so as to realise the full benefits of the bountiful resources the country is blessed with.

President Mahama expressed confidence in the new set of ministers to deliver towards the resetting Ghana agenda as he admonished them to serve in humility.

“Power is transient and public office is a revolving door that can see you leave just as quickly as you came in. Go ye forth and out in your very best to help us reset this country and make it the Ghana we all want,” he said.

The sector ministers are Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Defence; Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, Interior; Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Lands and Natural Resources; Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Gender, Children and Social Protection; Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, Works, Housing and Water Resources; and Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Minister of State, Special Initiatives.

The regional ministers are John Kwadwo Gyapong, Oti; Tia Ibrahim, North East; Dr Frank Amoakohene, Ashanti; and Akamugri Atanga Modestus, Upper East.

The rest are Ali Adolf John, Northern; James Gunu, Volta Region; Mrs Rita Akosua Awatey, Eastern; and Madam Linda Akweley Ocloo, Greater Accra.

On behalf of the ministers, Dr Lartey said it would not be business as usual therefore “we intend to discharge our duties in humility, honesty and respect for all Ghanaians.”

BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI