Chief Justice Urges Women To Speak Out Against Galamsey

• Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo has urged women to join the fight against illegal mining
• She said should the ongoing environmental injustice continue; women would not have a conducive environment to thrive and prosper
• She also urged women in higher positions to mentor younger women professionals to help build a just society for women

Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo has called on women and women leaders to join the fight against illegal mining and sand winning.

She said these unlawful activities pose a great danger to the country’s natural environment and a hazard to the health of Ghanaians, who bear the brunt of a degraded environment.

Delivering the keynote address at the 2024 Eve International Foundation’s Women’s Conference, the Chief Justice noted that now was the time for influential women and all other women to demand an end to the impunity that has characterised the illegal mining menace.

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She expressed her deep concern about the disorderly conduct of land and resource management and hoped that Ghanaian women would join the fight against galamsey.

Justice Torkornoo said she was of strong conviction that Ghana would be able to overcome this hurdle just as it did several adversities in the past, including slavery, colonialism, military dictatorships and corruption.

She said the country needed to embrace sustainable practices in land and resource management to help prevent the environmental injustice it is suffering.

Justice Torkornoo stressed that women can only thrive economically, socially, and health-wise when the country’s land and environment are properly managed.

She urged women to pursue and support development that promotes peace and prosperity and speak out strongly against destructive practices like the galamsey menace and corruption, among others.

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The Chief Justice also urged women in higher positions to mentor young and upcoming women professionals to help build a just society for women.

Military deployed to mining sites

Meanwhile, over 100 armed military personnel have been deployed to various mining communities bordering water bodies in a renewed effort to stop galamsey activities.

The action follows growing agitation from civil society organisations and Organised Labour concerning illegal miners' unrestrained destruction of the natural environment, particularly forest reserves and water bodies.

To halt the menace, President Nana Akufo-Addo directed the Defence Minister to deploy additional military forces to augment the Operation Halt forces already in some of these mining communities combating galamsey.

Nana Aba endorses Bawumia’s galamsey solutions

YEN.com.gh reported that seasoned broadcaster Nana Aba Anamoah endorsed the galamsey solutions proposed by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

This comes after she followed the vice president's stakeholder meeting, during which he shared some strategies to curb illegal mining.

Source: YEN.com.gh