President Akufo-Addo has directed the Attorney General to work with the Chief Justice to “increase the number of courts handling cases related to illegal mining” in a bid to enhance legal action against illegal mining.
The president stated that four dedicated courts had already been established to enhance the legal actions against galamsey.
Regarding other steps to fight the illicit small-scale mining trade, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also directed the Minister for Defence to deploy additional military forces to intensify the ongoing operation halt which aims to curb illegal mining activities.
The President also directed the Ministry of the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend with immediate effect the enforcement of L.I 2462 on mining in forest reserves.
This comes after a meeting with Organsied Labour on Tuesday, October 8 after the latter had announced they would declare a nationwide strike on October 10 if government fails to take action against illegal mining.
In a statement issued on October 9 by the Office of the Presidency, President Akufo-Addo outlined a number of measures to address concerns raised by Organised Labour.
These include a directive for the Defence Minister to deploy additional military forces to intensify ‘Operation Halt’ in curbing illegal mining activities.
“The operation will be bolstered by the deployment of naval boats on polluted river bodies to ensure the immediate cessation of all mining activities, legal or illegal, in and around these water bodies,” the statement said.
The government has called on presidential candidates and political parties to sign a pledge committing to the fight against illegal mining.
Additionally, the president requested that Organised Labour halt its planned strike on October 10 and work alongside other stakeholders to ensure the effective battle against the galamsey crisis.
Following discussions, Organised Labour has agreed to suspend its strike, expressing satisfaction with the government’s outlined measures to address illegal mining in the country.