Abbeam Danso talking to a section of the Ghanaian media on Friday
UK-based Ghanaian musician, pastor and businessman, Rev Dr Abbeam Ampomah Danso, has urged President Akufo-Addo not to relent on his fight against galamsey.
Galamsey which is a local artisanal gold mining in Ghana has been a topic for public discussion for months after government declared it was illegal to engage in galamsey because its activities were depleting the Ghanaian environment.
Speaking at a press conference by a section of the Ghanaian clergy at Abbeam Institute at Kasoa on Friday, Rev Dr Abbeam said it was unfortunate that successive governments have failed to address the issue of galamsey and urged Nana Akufo-Addo to make a difference.
“We as the council of faith completely condemn any act that aids in destroying the environment…We believe it is the duty of the president, according to Act 257 (6) and Sec 1 of the Mineral & Mining Act 2006 and Water Resources Commission Act 522, 996 Sec 12 to ensure that our resources and river bodies are properly managed and secured,” he said.
Rev Dr Abbeam advised government to review policies governing mining activities to allow chiefs and the community involvement in protecting Ghana’s resources since the people are custodians of the land. He also tasked the government to come up with initiatives that would accommodate persons who are into galamsey.
“We also recommend that the government group these illegal miners whose operations don’t directly affect our river bodies into cooperatives, give them license and strict mining regulations and monitoring them to operate under the government,” he suggested.
Rev Dr Abbeam was outraged by unpaid dividends from mining companies, stating, “We are very disappointed and shocked to observe that most mining companies operating in Ghana have failed to pay their dividend to the government. According to page 10 of the 2014 Auditor General’s Report on consolidated funds, only four out of 22 mining companies have paid their dividends to the government over the past 10 years. This is unacceptable and we are, therefore, calling on the Non-Tax Revenue Unit and the Public Investment Division of the Ministry of Finance who are responsible for insuring that government share in these mining companies to tell us why these moneys haven’t been paid by these companies.”
He also condemned the activities of Delta Force and called on the president to use all powers bestowed on him to put an end to the menace of Delta Force.
Rev Dr Abbeam is also a celebrated entrepreneur. He has founded, developed and sustained a deluge of businesses across industries and sectors in Ghana and the United Kingdom.
By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: fdee500@yahoo.com)