As illegal mining popularly known as galamsey continues to cause serious havoc to Ghana’s natural resources, the United States of America-based Ghanaian mining engineer, Dr Solomon Owusu has slammed President Akuffo Addo for opting to use the wrong approach in the fight against the canker, which is currently the leading cause of water pollution and land degradation in the country.
Dr Owusu’s statement comes after the Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) issued a letter of stakeholder engagement to find pragmatic solutions to address the illegal mining problem. According to him, the incumbent government is continuing to follow a wrongful direction in addressing the illegal mining (galamsey) menace.
He added that the high level of unmanaged hazardous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide have been released into the waterbodies and forests, through the activities of illegal mining, mostly operated by the Chinese nationals. In his view, President Akuffo Addo has failed to technically address this issue of national concern but wasting taxpayers’ money on unnecessary stakeholder engagements.
“I think it’s time to find a lasting solution to our water pollution, land degradation, and the alarming rate of diseases through the activities of illegal mining, especially those mining directly from our waterbodies”, he said.
He further detailed that the stakeholder engagement organized by the Ghana Water Company is a complete waste of time, money, and resources, describing how fruitless and senseless the engagement is. Dr. Owusu advised President Akufo Addo to engage professionals with the requisite knowledge, experience, and capabilities to help solve the galamsey problems.
” If I may ask, how many stakeholder engagements has your government organized on water pollution and illegal mining since 2017 and how many of them have produced any significant positive results? he quizzed Mr Akufo-Addo.
In his opinion, the President can’t continue to put square pegs in round holes and win this galamsey fight. He admonished Mr. Akufo Addo to act diligently now since his government has less than seven (7) months to leave office. He further reminded the President of putting his presidency on the line in addressing the menace, and hence his failure will leave an indelible mark on his reputation.
Story By: Lawrence Odoom
