Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources, has pledged to prioritise the sanitisation of Ghana's mining sector, focusing on addressing the long-standing challenges posed by illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.
Speaking during his vetting by Parliament's Appointments Committee on Monday, January 27, Armah-Kofi Buah outlined an agenda to bring order to mining operations, restore degraded lands, and revive polluted water bodies.
Armah-Kofi Buah acknowledged the severe environmental, social, and economic damage caused by illegal mining activities, emphasising the urgent need to combat the menace.
He described galamsey as one of the most critical threats to Ghana's natural resources, particularly its water bodies, forests, and agricultural lands. "My priority will be to stop the bleeding and make sure that we bring sanity into the mining areas and stop illegal mining and also make sure that polluted waterbodies are restored. "And to also plant more trees and continue the process and get people in mining areas to understand that the way forward is not to destroy water bodies." Galamsey has wreaked havoc on Ghana's natural environment for decades.
