President John Dramani Mahama has issued a stern warning to his new ministers, cautioning them against any involvement in illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.
The warning was delivered during the swearing-in ceremony of 14 ministers on Thursday, January 30, where the President reaffirmed his administration's commitment to tackling illegal mining and its devastating effects on the environment. "No member of this government is permitted to engage in any form of small-scale mining or galamsey.
Any such person will face sanctions which shall be swift and severe," Mahama declared. "We intend to call a stakeholder consultation on the menace of galamsey to forge a broad consensus on the mission we intend to take to preserve our environment from wanton destruction." As part of the government's efforts to protect the country's natural resources, President Mahama also announced plans to revoke all mining leases issued for operations in forest reserves under the previous administration.
According to the President, this decisive action is aimed at preventing further environmental degradation caused by illegal and unsustainable mining practices.
