Ban on galamsey not lifted – Akufo-Addo

• Posted on December 19, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

President Akufo-Addo has reiterated his resolve to sustain the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.

He says Ghanaians must not misconstrue the lifting of the ban on small scale mining to mean a tolerance for illegal mining.

“Let me reiterate clearly here today that the ban on illegal mining, galamsey,  has not been lifted and will not be lifted.

“…I cannot and will not give up the fight to protect our environment. And I entreat the media to join the fight to protect our water bodies,” the president told the media at his second encounter with journalists at the Flagstaff House in Accra Wednesday.

The comments of the President come days after the minister of Environment announced the lifting of the two year ban on small scale mining across the country.

The ban had been in place for close to two years after the government announced a crackdown on illegal mining.

The ban was lifted after the vetting of some 1,350 licensed small scale miners across the country by the vetting committee of the inter-ministerial committee overseeing the project.

So far, about 900 of the licensed miners have been cleared to go back to their concessions on Monday.