Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, says he would prefer the creation of security zones in galamsey-endemic areas rather than the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, the lawmaker argued that while illegal mining has reached alarming levels, declaring a state of emergency would unfairly restrict the lives and livelihoods of people who are not connected to the activity.

“I will favour the declaration of security zones, because the declaration of security zones will also deal with the emergency situation of the matters,” Mr Dafeamekpor said.

“If we declare security zones, you can't enter the area. A state of emergency affects the lives of persons who have no business dealing with the activity. Movements are restricted, economic activities are adversely impacted. So, compartmentalize the areas and declare them as no-go areas, security zones. It's a better alternative to the blanket imposition of a state of emergency.”

Mr Dafeamekpor acknowledged that the effects of anti-galamsey measures rolled out by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government are yet to be fully visible, but insisted progress is being made.

“We are not in a worse place. I disagree with you that the solutions are not working,” he noted.

“The degradation has been so bad that it will take some time for us to begin to see the effect. But I can tell you that if we have guards that are armed and are chasing armed men out of our forest cover, reclaiming the land, I am sure a year from now, the water levels will begin to change for good.”

He suggested that a temporary or complete ban on certain forms of mining, including community mining, could be considered to allow for tighter measures to take effect.

On prosecutions, the MP criticised what he described as limited accountability under the New Patriotic Party’s administration.

“If you compare that to the number of persons that are reported to be engaged in galamsey in excess of 3 million, then you haven't done much. So when the persons are arrested, by all means you have to prosecute them. They didn't do much in terms of prosecution. That is a fact,” he said.

Responding to the Catholic Bishops Conference’s earlier call for a national emergency on galamsey, the South Dayi MP reiterated his preference for targeted security interventions over broader emergency declarations.