Galamsey: Agric Minister Dismisses Calls For State Of Emergency: "Communities Must Fight"
- The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, said calls for the declaration of a state of emergency to combat illegal mining are counterproductive
- He said engaging the community and involving them in the anti-galamsey fight would yield more results
- He called for a more decentralised effort at combatting galamsey with community folks at the forefront
- YEN.com.gh interviewed Adib Saani, the Executive Director of the Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building, on the effectiveness of the militarised approach
Food and Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong has dismissed calls for the declaration of a state of emergency to combat illegal mining in the country.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency would be counterproductive without the active participation of local communities.
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The Minister stated that a national dialogue is what is needed to confront the crisis head-on.
In an interview on JoyNews, he acknowledged that while the government’s deployment of military personnel may seem to produce some results in the short term, it would not be a sustainable venture.
He said the galamsey issue goes beyond the scope of military or police actions.
Bryan Acheampong said to stop the galamsey issue once and for all, the central government’s enforcement of the laws should go hand in hand with communal efforts to stop illegal miners from operating in their area.
He said community members most affected by the galamsey menace ought to take the lead in protecting their lands, water sources and resources from being exploited and destroyed.
He argued that had the community folk fought against those polluting their rivers and destroying their land they would have had the immediate backing of the government and security agencies.
“But if you wait for the central government to bring in soldiers or police, they don’t come and stay there,” he said.
Bryan Acheampong on DCEs role in galamsey
The Food and Agriculture Minister, Bryan Acheampong, also argued against the notion that District Chief Executives were solely to blame for the proliferation of galamsey in their areas.
“Are you saying the DCE is the only one looking on for all this to happen? Galamsey is happening in communities, not in the DCE’s house,” he said.
He said there were others in the local governance structure who lived in the very communities where the illegal activity is happening and are better placed to play a vital role in stopping the proliferation of galamsey in their communities.
He added that the fight against galamsey must be decentralised to ensure maximum effect.
Expert asks for more nuanced approach
Foreign Policy and Security Analyst Adib Saani told YEN.com.gh that the need to involve community folk in the fight against galamsey should go beyond just getting them to stop galamsey and include alternative opportunities for income generation.
He explained that most of these communities depend on galamsey and the galamsey economy to survive and feed their families.
Thus, no amount of military intervention would end the crisis until a solution to these needs is found.
"We need to diversify our approach because this is a multi-dimensional issue that requires a multi-dimensional approach; for example, people use it as a means of survival. There are no jobs, so what do we do to cushion them if we ask them to stop galamsey?
"The local economy is thriving because, to a large extent, what do we do to cushion the local economies also so they don't suffer the brunt of having galamsey stopped?
"And the arms we have at the galamsey sites with lots of guns there because they claim armed robbers attack them; what do we do about it? How do we address it?
"All of these are legitimate issues that we need to address if we really want to stop this once and for all."
Lands Minister downplays state of emergency
YEN.com.gh reported that the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Jinapor has downplayed calls for a state of emergency because of illegal mining.
The lands minister said calling a state of emergency could worsen social and economic instability.
Jinapor assured that the fight against illegal mining was still a top priority of the Akufo-Addo administration.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
