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Politics of Friday, 30 April 2021

    

Source: Gregory Otoo, Contributor

NPP Western Regional Youth Organizer extols Minister for Lands and Natural Resources

Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor

In his effort to fight illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey, the Western Regional Youth Organizer of NPP, Benedict Addae has showered praises on Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources for putting up yeoman’s job in curbing the menace in the bud.

Illegal Mining goes to the core of our existence and survival. It goes to say any means humanly and legally possible must be employed to have a lasting solution to the gloomy days that stares on our faces.

Experts in the mining sector have consistently raised the issue of responsible mining that aims at putting the land back to its normal state. There is this notion that, those who engage in such activities should adopt sustainable mining which means mining in a way that does not deprive the future generation the opportunity to also make ends meet.

The minister for Lands and Natural Resources is embarking on a working tour in the Western Region to make the vision of the NPP government led by President Nana Akufo Addo clear to stakeholders in this enterprise. He came with Mireku Duker, MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem and Benito Owusu Bio, MP for Atwima- Nwabiagya who have been designated to serve as deputies to the sector minister; Chairman and member of Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, Atta Akyea and Rashid Pelpuo respectively some few days after the National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining, where stakeholders charged the government to take steps to strictly apply the country’s mining laws.

On his tour, he engaged AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem, Small Scale Miners and Officials of the University of Mines and Technology, where President Nana Akufo Addo’s government indicated that, it is not against Small Scale Mining but what it will not be countenance is the mining in our water bodies and forest reserve.

He reiterated that the government has declared mining in water bodies and forest reserve as ‘Red Zones’, meaning they will declare war on anyone who dares to mine in these two areas in the coming days.

It is against this backdrop that the Western Regional Youth Organizer of NPP is calling on the chiefs and people of Western region to compliment the efforts of government to deal with mining in our water bodies and forest reserves to protect the water that comes to our homes.
“We must all support the government to restore our muddy water bodies to a normal state or we die trying” Benedict Addae said.