Involve Chiefs In Galamsey Fight—Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II Appels To Government
According to the overlord of Bibiani, it seems that the government's military anti-galamsey taskforce has woefully failed the nation and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in fight against the galamsey.
Freeman Koryekpor 
The Chief of Bibiani Divisional Area in the Bibiani Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region, Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II, has the stressed the need for government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to fully engage traditional rulers in mining prone communities in the fight against the illegal mining activities popularly called galamsey operations in the country.
According to the overlord of Bibiani, it seems that the government's military/police anti-galamsey taskforce has woefully failed the nation and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the fight against the galamsey operations in Ghana.
In this regard, he stressed that it is a high time for the central government to take a look at the constitution, Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act) 703 and other Legislative Instrument (LI) and empower chiefs in the mining prone communities to deal with the illegal mining troubles.
Consequently, Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II suggested to the government to make "me substantive Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and that l would make sure that the already galamsey mining polluted water bodies are clean by way of putting stringent efforts to flush out all the illegal miners from the catchment areas of the water bodies."
The chief also kicked against an old aged decision for which the government through the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources would grants mining and mineral rights to individual organisations or personalities to mine in their traditional areas without consulting the chiefs and custodians of the lands.
"I am saying that this practice of the government needs to be stopped or changed because these are what are creating illegal mining troubles in the country. So l calling on the government to amend the constitution and Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) of the country and involve the chiefs in the implementation of the mineral rights," Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II stated.
The chief further warned his other colleague chiefs to stop lending their chieftaincy support to the various illegal miners to destroy water bodies, farm lands and environment in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Soireenews.com via telephone call on Tuesday May 23, 2023, Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II stressed that
the seeming neglect of chiefs in the fight may have resulted in its failure in the past hence the need to do things differently.
He maintained that the chiefs must be made to play a role in the fight against galamsey.
Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II it is now the time for chiefs to be involved in the process of issuance of mining permits, adding that the failure to get chiefs involved in such processes, forces them to get involved in the illegal mining instead, hence jeopardizing the fight.
“The constitution even says all minerals are vested in the president, but we know that the gold is vested in the soil and the local chief is in charge of the soil. A stranger can be given a permit to mine on the chief’s land but the maps and licence for mining are given in Accra. Because the chiefs are not involved, they also join in the galamsey. If the chief is involved in the process, this will not happen,”Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II argued.
Mincing no words, the chief appealed to the government to support him with logistics to help him to flush out the illegal small scale mining activities ongoing in Bibiani and its adjoining communities which are destroying water bodies, farm lands and environment.
The chief expressed grave worry over the increasing rate of the illegal small scale mining activities in the municipality, saying that unavailability of proper logistics had been preventing them not to fight the menace effectively in the municipality.
Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II expressed his capacity to battle the galamsey operators more effectively if he is given the nod and the necessary accoutrements.
In regulating the illegal small scale mining activities, the chief instructed the government to collaborate with traditional authorities.
‘‘It is evident that the government’s measures to fight the galamsey activities are not yielding any fruit. I will entreat the government that it is now a high time for it to involve the traditional authorities. I can make it possible, if I have been made the minister in charge of natural resources in my area,” Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II assured President Akufo-Addo.
Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II stated that; "It’s obvious the fight has not borne any fruit. I will entreat the Akufo-Addo government to sit up and take decision with the chiefs. I strongly believe this can help the fight against the menace.’’
Illegal mining locally referred to as ‘galamsey’, has, over the past few years, dominated national conversations following a major campaign by this journalist highlighting the devastating effects of the practice.
In 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo declared that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey.
His declaration was amidst new measures such as the deployment of police and military personnel to arrest illegal miners across the country and the introduction of a community mining programme aimed at regulating small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Recently, there have been complaints that the water bodies that were regaining their natural state at the height of the fight against galamsey are becoming polluted again due to the increasing activities of illegal miners in various parts of the country.
President Akufo-Addo again made public statements on the development, saying that there is a need for an open discussion on the subject.
The government, through the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, subsequently held a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining that, among other things, urged the government to firmly enforce the country’s laws on mining.
As a result of that dialogue, the Lands Minister directed all persons prospecting or carrying out reconnaissance activities in forest reserves to cease within seven days.
The move is said to be one of many to be rolled out as part of efforts to deal with illegal small-scale mining in Ghana.
