Skip to main content

Americans, Spanish operating 'galamsey' in Ghana



By: Fred Yaw Sarpong

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubynn has categorically stated that some other nationals such as Americans, Spanish are operating illegal mining (galamsey) in the country apart from the Chinese nationals.

He also mentioned Niger nationals and Malians among those nationals operating illegal mining in Ghana.

He stated that the reasons why people relate ‘galamsey’ activities in Ghana to the Chinese nationals are that their number exceeds all other nationals who are operating illegal mining in the country.

Dr Aubynn said until this ‘galamsey’ business will cease in the country, every Ghanaian have to join hands to fight this menace. ‘‘We are the problem and we must act now,’’ he added.

Dr Aubynn said this when he delivered a statement at the Natural Resource conference in Accra last weekend. The conference focused on ‘‘natural resource governance and management in Ghana: The stride towards an efficient use of our natural resources.’’ The conference was organised by the Institute of Green Growth Solution and Konrad Adenaur Stiftung.

According to him, the commission is about to review the practices of small scale mining operation in the country. ‘‘The review will take into consideration of activities of ‘galamsey’ in Ghana,’’ said Dr Aubynn.

He indicated that Ghana could benefit more from it natural resources if every Ghanaian will help to preserve them. ‘‘We cannot also say that natural resources have not benefited this country,’’ said Dr Aubynn

Dr Eric Twum, the CEO of the Institute of Green Growth Solution said the management and exploitation of our natural resources has been called to question on a number of occasions due to the deterioration in environmental quality and health in most parts of the country with rural areas being the most affected.

‘‘Consequently, this poor resource management and exploitation negatively impacts on economic development since huge investments are made to repair the damage caused. Again, the question of who are in charge cannot be overlooked. Why should we as a country with all our human and institutional capabilities wait till the harm is done before we strike in rebuttal’’?

Dr Twum said economically, research has indicated that between 2011 and 2012, the country lost about US$90 million and US$70 million due to stability agreements in the mining and oil and gas sectors respectively.

He said in addition to this economical loss, revenue accrued from our natural resource exploitation in most cases is neither properly used nor accounted for. ‘
‘This makes me ponder over the effectiveness of our quest to contribute to meeting the objectives of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) which includes an enhancement of the demand-side of social accountability by providing public insight into revenues derived from the exploitation of the country’s mineral resources,’ he added.

The conference brought together over 150 stakeholders drawn from mining and oil and gas sectors, the media, government agencies, public servants, civil society, investors and among others.  

  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shortage of weighing cards hit major hospitals in Accra

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express There is scarcity of Child Health Records Book (weighing cards), in some major public hospitals in the capital, information reaching the Daily Express indicates. Checks by this paper revealed that while some of the hospitals have being encountering the shortage for about a year now, others started experiencing it six months ago. In place of the Child Health Record Book (weighing card), the nursing mothers are given a single card on which information of children are recorded on it. Those hospitals identified are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Adabraka Polyclinic and the Ridge Hospital. At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nursing mothers are given yellow cards in place of the weighing cards. The Public Relations Secretariat at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital said such information has not come to their notice and for that matter they cannot comment on it. “We do not have some
Post a Comment
Read more

90 African Journalists entertain by Disney Africa

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Mauritius Disney Africa welcomed 90 journalists from across Africa to their first ever showcase to media from the continent, at this year’s Multichoice Africa Content Showcase Extravaganza. On Thursday 3 September, guests received a Disney Movie ticket which gained them entry to the special outdoor screening, set under the stars on the lawns of the idyllic Outrigger Beach Resort in Mauritius . After receiving their own Disney picnic basket and blankets, full of delicious treats and filling food, the guests made their way to the seating area, replete with comfortable chairs and loungers. Once the Disney fans were settled, the vast outdoor screen lit up and the evening’s festivities were well under way. A welcome speech by Deirdre King, Head of Marketing for the Walt Disney Company Africa, preceded the screening of two animated shorts. The first, the Academy Award-nominated Get a Horse, featured Disney favourites like Mickey, Minni
Post a Comment
Read more

ABL launches chibuku super in Bolgatanga

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong sarpong007@gmail.com Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) has officially launched the Chibuku Super drink at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region with the aim of reaching a lot of customers. Mr. Thomas Nii Ponku, Supervisor in charge of Chibuku Super at ABL told Daily Express that the management decided to launch the Chibuku Super drink in the Upper East region because they’ve realized it is similar to a traditional drink in the region. “Chibuku is like a well developed pito, a traditional drink made from fermented millet or sorghum in the Northern part of Ghana. So the idea is to provide them with similar drink,” he added. Mr. Nii Ponku disclosed this when members of the Institute of Finance and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) toured the facility of ABL to acquaint themselves with the expansion project at the factory. He mentioned that after a feasibility study, they realized there is a potential market for the product in the northern part of Ghana
Post a Comment
Read more