AN emergency meeting to find solutions to the wanton destruction of the forest cover and the pollution of the Birim River through illegal mining often referred to as “galamsey” in the three Akyem traditional areas, has been held at Koforidua.
During the deliberations, the participants put the blame on the various stakeholders.
The activities of illegal miners who have been prospecting for gold in the East Akyem District in recent times, have led to the deaths of a number of people.
The meeting, which was held in Koforidua, was to see how best to address the issue, especially the cause of the deaths of two schoolchildren in an abandoned “galamsey” pit at Kyebi.
In attendance were members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), chiefs from the three Akyem traditional areas, namely Abuakwa, Kotoku and Bosome, landowners, municipal and district chief executives, officials from the Minerals Commission, Ghana Water Company and some licensed miners.
It came to light that some chiefs and landowners in the area allegedly collected various sums of money from licensed miners, who in turn gave out parts of their concessions to the “galamsey” operators.
It was also revealed that the Ghana Minerals Commission often gave out concessions to the licensed miners without consulting the traditional authorities in the area and that had made it difficult for the chiefs to monitor their activities.
Such officials were also alleged to have collected huge sums of money from the licensed miners so they did not adhere to the laid-down mining regulations.
Another worrying aspect of the issue was an allegation that some personnel from the joint security operations carried out in the past to arrest the illegal miners informed those they were to apprehend, making it possible for them to escape during the swoops.
In the round table discussion chaired by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, some of the traditional leaders pointed accusing fingers at licensed miners.
According to them, they were only interested in seeking their individual interests at the expense of the communities’.
The chiefs said the emergence of mining activities in the three traditional areas had led to several anti-social behaviours in the affected communities and mentioned teenage pregnancies and schoolchildren abandoning classes to mine gold known in the local parlance as “kolikoli”.
Some of the licensed miners also blamed the chiefs, who they claimed sold out concessions to them but later gave the same concessions out to illegal miners and other persons residing in the area without their consent.
Addressing the participants, the Executive Director of the GMC, Mr Fred Ohene-Kena, also blamed some of officials of the Minerals Commission whose selfishness and negligence had also contributed to the miners destroying the environment.
He warned that any official of the commission found to have gone “wayward” would face the full rigours of the law.
Mr Ohene Kena reminded the chiefs and landowners that since the minerals and other natural resources in the land had been vested in the government, they should refrain from giving out any of such concessions to miners, whether licensed or unlicensed.
For his part, Mr Ofosu Ampofo, who recently led a security task force to clamp down on the illegal miners, directed the municipal and district assemblies to revoke the license of any mining company that would be found to have ceded parts of its concession to illegal miners.
He also urged the assemblies to issue permits to only mining companies whose activities would not pollute the Birim River.
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