Media personality Bridget Otoo has voiced support for former President John Dramani Mahama‘s recent proposition to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) in combating illegal mining in Ghana.
Otoo emphasized that Mahama’s assertions are well-founded and research-backed, urging the public to anticipate further details from Mahama’s campaign team regarding the implementation of this policy.
In a social media post on May 15, 2024, she stated, “You should know by now that @JDMahama doesn’t talk basabasa, whatever he says is grounded in research.”
“Even when I heard about AI in the fight against mining I had to raise an eyebrow and then started reading.”
“It’s fascinating, and I cannot wait in the coming days for them to break it down because we really need our water bodies cleaned. People are getting all kinds of diseases because of illegal mining, and if investment in AI will help us identify illegal sites and deal with it to save lives… why not…”
As the 2024 elections draw near, Mahama has pledged to harness advanced technology to tackle the pressing issue of illegal mining, also known as “galamsey,” which has caused severe environmental degradation and health issues in various communities.
Speaking at the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani on May 15, 2024, Mahama emphasized that if elected in the 2024 general elections, his administration would utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify and monitor all small-scale mining and galamsey operations.
“We will introduce and encourage technological innovation to improve capacity for coordinated monitoring of the small-scale mining sector and reduce environmental impact.
“This will include using AI to locate all small-scale mining and galamsey operations, track excavators, and geo-fence all concessions to ensure mining operations are not conducted in unapproved areas, including water bodies,” he said.
See tweet below:
