Traditional leaders in the coun­try have been called upon to exert their authority in their respective areas to end illegal mining (galamsey) in the country.

According to the Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional Area, Naba Napariyong Kosom Asaga Yelzoya II, the political class was only paying lip service to the fight against the menace.

At a stakeholder engagement on mining in Bolgatanga yesterday, he urged Civil Society Organisations and other stakeholders to engage traditional leaders, health practi­tioners, and the academia to devise strategies to tackle it head-on. "The politicians are not inter­ested in the 'galamsey' fight today or tomorrow because they are actively involved in it.

You have to join hands with chiefs and queen mothers if you are really interested in stemming the canker," he noted.