Daasebere Osei Bonsu II, the Paramount Chief of Mampong, has encouraged his fellow paramount chiefs in the Ashanti region to unite in combatting illegal mining, commonly referred to as ‘galamsey.’
In his address during the 32nd Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition, he called upon all paramount chiefs in the Ashanti region to follow his lead and expel ‘galamsey‘ activities from their respective communities.
“Some of the paramountcies have to be very bold and stick their neck and chest out to challenge the Minerals Commission and the others.
“Far from sounding boastful I kicked them out of my kingdom so they can’t come to Mampong and dig any hole for gold. I have set the pace and now others within the Ashanti kingdom paramountcies have been bold and assertive in challenging the Minerals Commission so please be bold,” he said.
Daasebere Osei Bonsu II additionally advocated for the inclusion of traditional rulers in the upcoming edition of the competition’s discussions, seeking to incorporate their perspectives on human rights.
“Therefore, in the next conference, I suggest to you the organizers that in the future as much as the theme admits to it, selected traditional rulers should be invited to participate and be heard on their views on such topical and sensitive human rights issues,” he said.
Mr. Yaw Boafo, the President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), emphasized that the competition offers students a chance to develop skills beyond the confines of the classroom.
“The opportunity to participate in any moot court competition is to be taken seriously by every law student as it helps students to inculcate all the habit and follow all the policies and procedures that are followed in legal proceedings in real court situations. It affords students the opportunities to acquire skills that are not ordinarily available at the academic stage of legal training,” he said.
The Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition stands as the largest gathering of students, academics, and judges centered around the theme of human rights in Africa.
This annual event unites law faculties from across the African continent, where their top-performing students engage in simulated legal proceedings, presenting arguments for a hypothetical human rights case as if they were appearing before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
This competition serves as a continuous platform for grooming the next generation of lawyers, equipping them with the skills to advocate cases involving alleged human rights infringements before the African Court.
Since its inception in 1992, a total of 170 universities hailing from 47 African nations have participated in this enduring fixture on the African legal education calendar.
The Moot Court Competition has played a pivotal role in catalyzing the development of leading programs dedicated to human rights teaching and research in Africa. In 2022, the 31st edition of the competition was hosted at The British University in Egypt, Cairo, drawing the participation of 45 teams representing 19 African countries.