As calls mount for the government to seize the momentum from the recent military helicopter disaster to intensify the fight against illegal mining, the Chief of Abosso in the Western Region, Nana Akwasi Appiah, has appealed to the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry and the Interior Ministry to take swift action against escalating social vices in his community.
Addressing a press conference at Abosso in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality on Sunday, August 10, Nana Akwasi Appiah expressed grave concern over what he described as a “galamsey-infested” environment that is breeding drug abuse, prostitution, and other destructive behaviours among the youth.
He explained that although the government had shut down the community mining programme in the area, a section of the site, popularly known as gangway, had been taken over by unidentified youth engaging in illegal mining activities and promoting harmful social practices.
“Illegal mining at the gangway site is destroying the culture and moral fabric of our youth,” he lamented, urging the government to permanently close the area and restore order.
Abosso, long known as a hub for both large- and small-scale mining, has historically attracted an influx of young people from across the country. However, the chief warned that without urgent intervention, the community risked losing an entire generation to the adverse effects of galamsey-related vices.
Nana Akwasi Appiah dismissed suggestions that his public outcry was politically motivated or that he was acting out of personal loss.
“We have seen that the current government has discontinued Community Mining, and therefore, we want the land to be reverted to us, the owners, and the illegal miners removed.
“We, the traditional leaders of Abosso, tried to have discussions with the current operators of our gangway mining site, but our discussions have not been fruitful.
“So they have to stop the gangway operators because of the drug abuse going on there, including Indian Hemp, Tramol, and red-red, which we, the chiefs, don’t want here.
“We therefore call on the Ministers for Interior and Lands and Natural Resources to help the chiefs stop. The place is infested with fake Rastafarians, which is not good for the town. This will pave the way for the new government proposals to work,” he said.