Ghana’s land will not heal in our lifetime even if galamsey stopped today – Former lands minister
Ghana's forest and water reserves are under threat from galamsey activities
Former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fuseini, has asked government not to relent in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
Read full articleAccording to the former minister, the failure of government to end the galamsey menace will have a grave impact on Ghana’s natural environment which will be felt more by the future generation.
Citing research findings on the impact of galamsey activities, Mr Fuseini in a report by myjoyonline.com noted that it will take around a hundred years for Ghana’s degraded lands to recover to its natural state.
“It means all of us living in Ghana today might not see the return, even if we stop galamsey activities today, we might not see the full return or recovery of the land in our lifetime. So we cannot give up!” he charged.
With activities becoming a breeding ground for political funding, the former minister noted that funding political campaigns with monies obtained from illegal mining is equal to money laundering which is an offense and punishable by law.
“Indeed you are privy to a conference that we held that introduced us to the effect of money in our politics, and if glamseyers are supporting political parties, then if you want evidence of money laundering it is there.
“Because galamseyers are doing an illegal activity, and any money tainted by an illegality put into the political system is laundered. That’s money laundering. So there are laws to deal with that. What I’m saying is that for the environment, for our own future, for intergenerational equity, we must be seen to be fighting this. And all political parties must agree that we have to fight this.
“There must be a template for all political parties to follow and fight it, and not use galamsey as a political score point where people can use it to score cheap political points. Other than that, we are doomed,” he said.
The recent conversation about the impact of illegal mining activities is on the back of the arrest of female Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang who was deported from Ghana in 2018.
Following her supposed deportation, Aisha Huang somehow managed to sneak into Ghana and had been engaged in galamsey until her recent arrest.
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