President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has sought assistance from chiefs across the country to rid the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) of politics.
In his address to the National House of Chiefs on October 5, 2022, he said the existential problem which is destroying the environment will only be dealt with through concerted efforts.
He observed that the politicization of the issue of galamsey over the years has only put a damper on the fight to nip the menace in the bud.
Therefore, to put an end to politicians’ schemes aimed at satisfying their parochial interests, the involvement of the chiefs is crucial.
“There are many requests I intend to make of you in the closed-door session of our meeting, but one of the most significant which I have to state now is to seek your assistance to take partisan political interests out of the fight against galamsey.
“It (the fight) can only succeed if it is a truly national battle which no one seeks to exploit for political gain as we saw in the last election,” President Akufo-Addo told the chiefs.
He added: “The progress of our country depends on all of us all citizens of Ghana, all fellow Ghanaians pulling together to defeat this existential threat to our future.”
The president reiterated that the government is not against mining but they “cannot accept mining in a manner that risks destroying our country”.
The call on the chiefs, however, follows concerns raised with some fingers pointing at the traditional rulers over the worsening situation in the country.
