Co-Convener for Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Carol Annang has chided Ghanaians for the lack of courage to sustain the fight against the galamsey menace.

She said; “we’ve always described Ghanaians as peace-loving and nice people but, we are wicked people.  We don’t love ourselves and our country. We have no understanding of the value of the environment in which we live. Because if we do, we wouldn’t just be angry, we would be wearing red bands on daily basis. We would be asking our MPs, chiefs, government, our duty bearers, and ourselves questions.”

“As relatives of people who are doing this to the country, we would have to accept and own responsibility because we know what is going on. We are all direct or indirect beneficiaries of the destruction positively or negatively. If we do not own up and stand up for galamsey to stop now, what kind of future are we leaving for our children?” Ms. Annang quizzed.

Carol Annang is asking all citizens to reflect on the destruction illegal mining has posed to the environment, and resolve to end it.

“We are all sitting on a time bomb. We have gotten to the stage where people are mining around the foundation of innocent people’s homes, leaving people walking around, not sure whether the ground is safe. Other people’s houses are caving in and they are dying with no just cause. This calls for a sober reflection. Let us challenge ourselves to add our voices to the crusade and fight galamsey to the very last.”

Carol Annang was speaking at the International Association for Impact Assessment-Ghana symposium on the theme, “The Galamsey Menace: What Legacy are We Leaving?”

Recent Impunity in Illegal Mining

Speaking at the same event, retired member of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Water Research Institute, Dr. Anthony Duah posited that, the penchant for illegal mining is because of the seeming failure to hold culprits accountable.

He said the monitoring and prevention mechanisms must be scaled up to deter people from destroying the forests and water bodies.

“These days, it looks like the laws on illegal mining are no longer working. For instance, the law doesn’t allow for mining in river bodies and forest reserves. But you see a lot of the galamseyers in these rivers and forest mining. We need to start enforcing the laws if we want illegal mining to stop.”