The government has concluded operational measures to intensify the ongoing “Operation Halt,” which is led by the Ghanaian Armed Forces, to rid our river bodies of all forms of mining activity. This announcement was made by Minister of Information Fatimatu Abubakar. The government has been working to crack down on the long-standing threat of illegal small-scale mining.
She stated that the Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana will be involved in this stage of the project.
“The government reiterates that forest reserves and water bodies continue to be red zones. The government calls on all stakeholders to join the battle against unlawful small-scale mining and reiterates its commitment to this cause in a statement released on Wednesday, October 9.
Prior to this, Madam Fatimatu Abubakar stated that the government and labor unions had reached a consensus on certain measures to combat the threat posed by unlawful small-scale mining, or galamsey. She noted that one of the actions was for the Attorney General and the Chief Justice to work together to guarantee that cases involving illicit mining were decided quickly.
In light of this, she stated that the administration is taken aback by Organized Labor’s decision to move forward with an industrial action against Galamsey.
During a meeting on October 4, President Akufo-Addo urged members of Organised Labour to give him more time to address their concerns. Nevertheless, members of the organisation decided to go forward with the nationwide strike on October 10.
Organized Labour spokesperson Joshua Ansah declared in Accra on October 7 that his organization will not concede. The Organised Labour meeting took place in private. The leadership, however, emphasized that the strike will take place on October 10 as scheduled.
Joshua Ansah claims that if the government does not outlaw illicit mining, a strike will occur.
“We held a meeting and decided that there would be a statewide strike if nothing was done by October 10th. We maintain that our notice of strike will not be altered because we believe that the government’s proposed solution falls short of meeting our demands.
“The president and I spoke about the issues, and we have a demand. He has told us that we will carry out our strike if nothing changes,” he said.
Prior to Thursday, October 10, other labor union leaders requested that President Akufo-Addo declare the complete prohibition.
In response to the unions’ decision to go on strike, Minister of Information Fatimatus Abubakar released a statement saying: “On Thursday, October 3, 2024, at the Jubilee House, the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, convened a meeting with Organized Labor in response to the call by Organized Labor and other stakeholders on Government to take action on the menace of illegal small-scale mining in the country.”
The long-standing problem of illicit mining was covered at the meeting, along with the state of affairs and the government’s previous efforts. The parties reached an understanding that:
The government will fight against illicit mining in concert with Organized Labor and other relevant parties.
On the reconvening of Parliament this month, the government will take action to repeal the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L. I. 2462).
The government will strengthen its enforcement actions, especially with regard to forbidding illicit mining in forest areas and water bodies.
Both water bodies and Forest Reserves continue to be designated as “Red Zones” for mining, and small-scale mining, prospecting, exploration, and/or reconnaissance in Forest Reserves are still prohibited. It is the express mission of the State’s law enforcement forces to eradicate all mining activity from our forest reserves and water bodies.
Together with the Chief Justice, the Attorney General will make sure that cases involving illicit mining are decided quickly. The government agrees that, in order to depoliticize this issue facing the country, all presidential candidates should sign a pledge to combat illicit mining.
“Given the foregoing, the government is taken aback by organized labor’s intention to launch an industrial action on October 10, 2024. The government will, nevertheless, keep having positive conversations with Organized Labor and other interested parties in an effort to find answers for this threat to the country. The government calls on all parties involved to join the battle against unlawful small-scale mining and reaffirms its commitment to this cause.
