OccupyGhana last week wrote to the president asking him to show more commitment towards the fight against galamsey which the group noted had failed abysmally.
In the letter dated September 28, 2022, OccupyGhana said it would write a reminder to the president every Monday until it sees firm actions being taken by the government to stop illegal mining.
In the first of its reminder dated October 3, 2022, OccupyGhana said the current situation of illegal mining impact satisfies the requirements of 31(9) of the 1992 Constitution.
The group thus charged the president to declare a state of emergency.
“In our open letter to you dated 28 September 2022, we promised to send you a Galamsey reminder every Monday morning until your government takes drastic steps to control the situation. This is the first reminder."
According to the pressure group, the threats of illegal mining to the country require immediate actions such as the declaration of a state of emergency.
“We risk losing our very essence as a nation unless immediate and radical action is taken, first to STOP all unregulated and illegal mining, and then put a process in place to REGULATE artisanal mining, going forward.
“We therefore request that you take immediate steps towards declaring a state of emergency in every mining area in Ghana. In accordance with article 31(1) of the Constitution, these steps would be, first, seeking and obtaining the advice of the Council of State and, second, publishing a Proclamation of the declaration in the Gazette,” the group said.
As stipulated by Article 31(1) of the Constitution, OccupyGhana said it also expects parliament to be recalled from its break after the declaration by the president.
“We expect Parliament to be recalled from its vacation, for the government to place before it ‘the facts and circumstances leading to the declaration of the state of emergency under article 31(2). Considering the gravity of the situation, we fully expect Parliament to agree with the government and provide that the state of emergency should remain for such period as Parliament may determine, so that the government can get a grasp of the situation.
“For our part, we have, and are willing to offer, suggestions and proposals on how to establish a properly regulated artisanal mining industry in Ghana that would benefit the wider interest of all Ghanaians,” it added.
There is a renewed public conversation about the impact of illegal mining on Ghana’s water and forest reserves.
Currently, several water bodies are under threat from the galamsey activities while forest covers are being depleted by the day.
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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo