Source: newsthemegh.com
John Dramani Mahama, the leader of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has declared that, should he be elected president in the forthcoming December 7 polls, he will take a firm stand against illegal mining activities, often known as galamsey, among his appointees.
Mr. Mahama has pledged to demand the resignation of any appointee discovered to be involved in mining, stressing that they have to focus solely on their jobs in the advancement of the country.
Speaking at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani for the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining, Mr. Mahama said: “None of my appointees will do galamsey.”
“It will differ in all forms from the existing community mining scheme, which has undeniably become a conduit for enriching party chairmen, DCEs, and other politically connected individuals,”
Indeed, in my government, if you are a minister, a DCE, or an official and you undertake mining activity, I will ask you to resign and go and do the mining. You either choose to be a public official or choose to be a businessperson running a mine.” Mr. Mahama added.
In contrast to the existing community mining program, he presented his idea for a sustainable mining scheme that will be adopted in all mining communities.
To guarantee that mining operations are properly regulated, this new plan will actively involve traditional leaders in the licensing procedure.