Founder and Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, has announced his intention to petition the IMF regarding the illegal mining crisis, also known as the “galamsey”, plaguing the nation.
Mr. Odike, who accused the current administration of showing a lack of dedication to the galamsey fight, is hopeful that his request to the IMF will hasten the Akufo-Addo led administration’s dedication to eradicating the threat.
He proposed that the Bretton Woods institution make combating galamsey a condition for granting Ghana the aid it seeks.
“We (UPP) want this to be part of the conditions attached to the bailout. I am imploring the IMF to bring galamsey issues as part of the conditionalities to secure this bailout.
“This will push the government harder to take decisive decisions to mitigate this menace. The United Nations Security Council too must come in,” he said.
Despite efforts to curtail the menace, galamsey continues to be a major challenge in the country. Although various task forces, including ‘Operation Halt’, have been introduced to keep it under check, some officials under the current administration have been accused of heavily partaking in the menace.
On Monday, October 10, 2022, the Chief of Dompim-Pepesa, Nana Nyonwah Panyin IV, alleged that the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Deputy Lands Minister George Mireku Duker, and the Tarkwa- Nsuaem Chief Executive, Benjamin Kessie, are engaged in galamsey.
Although there is little proof to support the claim, Bernard Antwi- Boasiako, the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, has recently appeared on lists of well-known people who are involved in galamsey.
It is impossible to overstate the effects of illegal mining on Ghana’s water bodies and forest cover. According to data from COCOBOD, the country lost about 19,000 acres of cocoa farmland to galamsey between 2019 and 2020.
Therefore, Akwasi Addai Odike noted that President Akufo-Addo should step down as it appears that the current administration has failed in its attempt to address the threat.
Source: The Independent Ghana