A meeting between President Akufo-Addo, leadership of the National House of Chiefs and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to discuss the illegal mining menace took place in Kumasi.

The discussions at the meeting were to provide the President and the stakeholders the opportunity to find realistic means of dealing with the problem, which is destroying water bodies and lands in parts of the country.

It happened at Manhyia in the Ashanti Region, one of the regions worst hit by the galamsey canker.

Ahead of the meeting, the Pressure group, OccupyGhana had asked President Akufo-Addo to immediately declare a state of emergency in all mining areas in the country.

To them, this will help the President and his government streamline mining activities in the country.

In a press release issued on Monday, October 3, it urged President Akufo-Addo to seek advice from the Council of State before publishing a Gazette on same.

“We, therefore, request that you take immediate steps towards declaring a state of emergency in every mining area in Ghana.

“In accordance with article 31(1) of the Constitution, these steps would be, first, seeking and obtaining the advice of the Council of State and, second, publishing a Proclamation of the declaration in the Gazette,” the group urged.

Meanwhile, the Convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr Ken Ashigbey, has said the government’s failure to appropriately tackle the galamsey menace might be either because they are complicit in the illegality or they are incompetent.

According to him, the failure of government to decisively deal with key persons who have been identified as being active participators and facilitators of galamsey in the country is rather telling on the government’s lack of commitment to the galamsey fight.