The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, says Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives can no longer pretend they do not see illegal mining happening in their areas.
He described the sector Ministry as perhaps the most culpable for looking the other way while galamsey destroys lives.
“Every piece of land falls within a district, municipality and metropolis. I am here to support the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources who has been battling with this situation,” he said.
Speaking at a briefing ahead of the Green Ashanti Initiative to restore the Jimi River and degraded lands at Tasleman near Obuasi, the Minister announced a firm intervention to force local authorities to take ownership.
“We have put together a conference that we will soon invite all MMDCEs to attend. The reason is that no MMDCE can tell me that they don’t see what is happening within their jurisdictions, and so we at the Ministry of Local Government are perhaps the most culpable when it comes to looking the other way and allowing this level of deprivation to take place,” said Mr. Ayariga.
The Minister said the fight against galamsey can no longer be left to one Ministry.
“We want to step up our game and make it not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Lands. When this goes on, it is equally the responsibility of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs. We want to share the blame with him.
“Everybody has taken him on over what has happened, but it happens within the geographical space that is managed by a set-up that is the local government authority, and so it can’t just be the responsibility of the Minister for Lands. It is the responsibility of the traditional leaders who own the lands and all of us. It is time for us to own up and do our part to support the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources,” he said.
Current data shows 120 of Ghana’s 261 MMDAs are directly affected by illegal mining, with the government identifying 44 critical hotspot areas requiring permanent security presence.
In the Western Region alone, 12 out of 14 districts are under siege. The worst impacted river systems are the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Tano, Birim and Densu – rivers that serve millions.
The Jimi River, which was inspected by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on the same day, has had its course diverted by illegal miners at Tasleman, causing siltation that threatens the Jimi Dam, which supplies water to over 200,000 people in Obuasi and Adanse.
Beyond rivers and farmlands, the Minister’s concern comes as health data show devastating human impact.
The briefing formed part of the 153-hectare Jimi Land Reclamation and River Watercourse Rehabilitation Project, a pilot under the Green Ashanti Initiative. The project is led by the Ashanti Green Initiative and supported by AngloGold Ashanti.
It seeks to restore the diverted Jimi River, reclaim degraded lands in six stages, and create alternative livelihoods through the cultivation of trees.
The tour was led by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who warned that “we may get the money, but we will die after the environment is destroyed.” It included the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.