Traditional leaders, MMDCEs culpable in galamsey – President of National House of Chiefs

The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, says some traditional leaders and MMDCEs are thwarting efforts to fight illegal mining through their active participation in the menace.

According to him, persons who have taken up MMDCE positions have continued with the illegality that existed under the previous administration.

He revealed his office has caused the arrest of chiefs suspected to be involved in galamsey.

"I have lived under the NPP and galamsey was there, especially a year or two before elections they allowed their people to do the mining. Right now, it is the NDC government in power, and the NDC people are doing the mining," he said.

"I caused the arrest of four of my chiefs because they were involved in illegal mining. They pleaded with me, and they signed bonds. MMDAs, I can tell you that some of you are involved in the galamsey business just as some Nananom," he added.

He said although the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) continues to wage war on illegal mining on river bodies and in forest reserves, little positive impact has been achieved. In some areas, miners have become emboldened, extending activities to previously untouched reserves.

He called for the fight to be devoid of partisanship and to involve local communities.

He warned traditional authorities to properly ascertain the lawful use of lands before allocation.

"A grant of customary land must not be mistaken for a license to mine illegally. We have a proper licensing procedure to be followed. One of the critical issues confronting our communities is the misuse of customary lands for activities that cause extensive environmental degradation such as illegal mining," he stressed.

Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II was speaking as chair of the National Conference for MMDCEs on Illegal Small-Scale Mining organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

The conference brought together MMDCEs and some Regional Ministers to discuss illegal mining and how the local government ministry can help address the menace.

Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, admitted the culpability of MMDCEs, noting that even failure to act makes them complicit.

"It is not only when you are directly actively involved in mining that you are part of the problem. You can be part of the problem because you have seen people actively mining and you have looked the other way," he said.

He said it was time his ministry and MMDCEs took keen interest in combating the illegality.

"When I became Minister, I decided that I am going to move into the fire and join my brother Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah so that if the fire is coming in the area of galamsey I also take part of it," he added.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources welcomed the support from the Local Government Ministry, proposing that MMDCEs help identify illegal mining hotspots, threatened water bodies and abandoned pits and take action.

The Ministry charged MMDCEs to go after perpetrators to reclaim destroyed lands.

Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, called for coordinated efforts to deal with the canker.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Minister, speaking on behalf of MMDCEs, called for dedicated funding for the fight, noting that the District Assemblies Common Fund already has specific areas of allocation.

The MMDCEs also called for prior notice when NAIMOS visits their areas to enable them to manage possible security situations.

They cited uncoordinated security operations undertaken without their consent, trust deficits, lack of dedicated funding for the anti-galamsey fight, and the need to decentralise reclamation programmes to provide alternative livelihoods for miners.