NDC has no alternative policy to combat illegal mining

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By
Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA

Accra, Feb 20, GNA –
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged the flag bearer of the National
Democratic Congress, Former President John Mahama, to provide strategic
policies and governance structures implemented during his tenure to combat
illegal mining.

It said the NDC did
not have any control policy to fight illegal mining, otherwise known as
“galamsey, but is now criticising the NPP government for not doing enough to
eradicate the canker.

Addressing a news
conference in Accra, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoah, the NPP Director of Communications,
said the NDC did not demonstrate any viable alternative policy to combat
illegal mining, but rather its flag bearer was threatening mayhem in the
country, if the Electoral Commission (EC) went ahead to compile a new voters’
register for the December Election.

He said Former
President Mahama failed to institute strategic interventions to address illegal
mining with two of his ministers throwing their hands in despair and admitted
their failure to deal with the canker. 

Mr Buaben Asamoah
was responding to the recent media encounter organised by the NDC to ask the
ruling NPP government to account for the missing excavators.

At a news conference
held at the banks of River Pra in the Central Region last Sunday, the NDC
accused the Akufo-Addo-led administration of failing to address the illegal
mining challenges, resulting in continuous pollution of the water bodies and
degradation of the environment.

Contrary to the
NDC’s claims, Mr Buaben Asamoah said President Akufo-Addo’s Government was
implementing a number of strategic measures and had rolled out a roadmap to
address the canker, with 900 of the 1,300 small-scale miners vetted, while
their information was downloaded onto ‘GalamStop,’ a software that can track
their mining activities.

Additionally, the
Minerals Commission was registering interested persons across the 14 mining
districts nationwide to undertake Community Mining and thus, allocated 300
concessions for legal mining.

More so, the Ministry
of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs had embarked on sensitisation programme
nationwide to educate traditional authorities on government’s mining roadmap
and policy so that they wouldn’t release lands for illegal mining.

Mr Buaben Asamoah
stated that through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Department, it
was implementing an Alternative Livelihood Programme in 35 districts in 10
regions affected by illegal mining.

The beneficiaries
are being trained in needle work and craft, batik/tie and dye, beads-making,
dress-making, entrepreneurial skills, interior and exterior decoration, leather
works, electrical installation, hair-dressing and other hands-on skill training
and after completion government provided them with start-up tools and equipment.

“We’re also trying
to use technology by way of imagery to read what’s happening on the ground and
so we’re training 140 Nation Builder Corps (NABCO) as drone pilots who would
use drones to monitor mining concessions, not only illegal miners, but legal miners
who were registered and licensed to do proper mining.

“We’re also
formalising the capacity of institutions, strengthening regulatory bodies and
rolled out a roadmap with 80 mining community committees established to
implement the modalities in the roadmap to ensure sustainable mining,” he said.

Mr Buaben Asamoah
said government had developed software known as “GalamStop” that was capable of
containing all the data about small-scale mining and aid in tracking the
activities of miners.

The software also makes
the acquisition of mining licences at the Minerals Commission easier and
transparent.

To monitor the
turbidity of the water bodies effectively, Mr Buaben Asamoah stated that 60
experienced divers were sent to the military camp at Asutsuare for two weeks to
assist Operation Vanguard with their riverine operations.

Again, he said the
Inter-Ministerial Committee Against Illegal Mining had constructed two landing
sites on River Pra at Beposo and River Ankobra at Axim to monitor the
activities of illegal miners, while two 1x45ft STC Flat Bottom Boats were
imported for transportation on those rivers.

In addition, eight
local canoes were constructed and would be used by the Riverine Task Force to
combat water-body destruction and 12 outboard motors were secured for their
operations.

GNA