Running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for election 2024 Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has stated a future NDC government will train illegal miners ‘galamseyers’ to mine without causing harm to the environment, mainly water bodies.
Addressing supporters of the NDC at Amenfi Central in the Western North last Saturday, Prof Opoku Agyemang said “In Amenfi and other towns like it, ‘galamsey’ is rampant, causing serious harm to the environment. But what choice do the youth have when there are no jobs? They are forced to turn to illegal mining as their only option for survival”.
She believes that the John and Jane ticket will transform illegal mining to sustainable mining by stepping in to train the youth on how to mine sustainably while protecting the environment, and their future.
She remarked that “It’s not today we discovered gold in Ghana, and ‘galamsey’ has been around for a long time. But if the government destroys the few jobs in town and doesn’t create new ones, what are the youth supposed to do?”
Prof. Naana emphasized that “The youth need jobs, and if ‘galamsey’ is what they will continue to do, then they should be taught how to do it safely and without destroying their communities. We have come here with good intentions, to show a better way”.
Meanwhile, Dr Ayew Afriyie, the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Effiduase Asokore has stated in Kumasi that the Nana Addo led government will not ban galamsey.
