Convener of the Media Coalition against Galamsey, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, says the lackadaisical attitude of politicians to curb the galamsey menace is largely because they benefit from it too.

According to him, Ghana’s political elite will not pass a law that will expose their own corruption hence the impunity with which illegal miners continue to ravage Ghana’s forests.

“A lot of the politically exposed people themselves are benefitting from this illegality that is killing all of us and to think that we have a law that is called the Environmental Protection Regulation,” he said.

His comments follow a recent report that a mining company, High Street, had tried to acquire a mining permit to mine in the Kakum National Park.

This has enraged civil society organisations who have called for the passage of legislation to stay the hands of the president from writing off any portions of Ghana's forest reserves for any mining or drilling-related activity.

They have also called for the repeal of Legislative Instrument 2462.to protect Ghana’s forest reserves.

Commenting on the situation, Mr. Ashigbey said it is a bastardization and desecration for a company to apply to mine in the Kakum National Park.

According to him, there should be a law that completely prevents mining in a forest reserve.  

Mr. Ashigbey emphasised that the President’s power to strip forest reserves of their legal protection should be immediately curbed to avoid the rape of Ghana’s forests.