The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, has appealed to government to urgently bring traditional authorities on board in the fight against illegal mining, warning that the galamsey menace is increasingly taking on national security dimensions.
He cautioned that lessons from parts of West Africa and South America show how unchecked illegal mining can grow into well-organised and armed networks, a development he said Ghana must prevent.
According to him, early signs of resistance to law-enforcement efforts by some galamsey operators make the role of chiefs—who are custodians of stool lands—more critical than ever.
Addressing a general meeting of the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II stressed that traditional leaders are best placed to help protect water bodies, farmlands and public health within their jurisdictions, and should therefore be fully integrated into anti-galamsey strategies.
Beyond illegal mining, he called for an urgent review of the mining and timber royalty regime, describing current allocations to traditional authorities as inadequate.
He proposed that one per cent of the gross revenue of mining companies operating in traditional areas be retained to directly support local development.
The chief lamented that many resource-rich communities continue to suffer from poor roads, schools and health facilities, calling it a “curse” for areas generating substantial mining revenue to remain underdeveloped.
He urged government to address the disparity as a matter of urgency, while also using the platform to caution motorists ahead of the Christmas season to obey traffic regulations, particularly avoiding overspeeding, to reduce road accidents during the festivities.
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