President John Dramani Mahama has declared that no member of his government is allowed to engage in any form of small-scale mining or illegal mining popularly known as galamsey, warning that violators will face severe consequences.

Addressing concerns about illegal mining and environmental degradation, he stressed the government's commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s natural resources.

“No member of this government is to engage in any form of small-scale mining or galamsey. Any such person will face sanctions that shall be swift and severe,” he warned.

He charged the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources with ensuring the protection of the environment from illegal miners while effectively managing the country’s resources.

“It shall be the policy of this government to ban the issuance of leases for mining in all forest reserves. We should also move promptly to revoke all leases issued for the same purpose under the previous government.”

He further stressed that no individual or group has been granted authorisation to carry out mining in forest reserves, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.

Mahama therefore called on the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the Minister for the Interior, the Attorney General, and the Minister for Justice to take immediate action against those involved in galamsey in the report.

“I urge them to ensure the arrest and prosecution of any persons or groups engaged in this illegality,” he declared.

To tackle the menace of illegal mining comprehensively, Mahama announced plans for a national stakeholder consultation on galamsey, aimed at building consensus on measures to curb environmental destruction.

His administration’s strategy includes the River Guard Programme – Employing youth from affected communities to protect water bodies, pollution cleanup – Removing toxic substances from Ghana’s rivers, land reclamation – restoring lands degraded by illegal mining, sustainable mining training – Educating small-scale miners on responsible mining practices and Gold Board Establishment – Ensuring Ghana fully benefits from its natural gold resources.

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