Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah at the parade
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has reassured the people in the region of his commitment to fighting and winning the war against illegal mining, also called ‘galamsey’.
He, has therefore, called on the people to continue to support his administration in the fight against the menace that continues to plague the region.
“I am pleading with the chiefs and people living near river banks and forest zones to report galamsey activities going on there so we can stop the operators”, he pleaded.
He said, “Support us because this canker must stop”.
The minister stated this at the Western Regional celebration of the country’s 66th Independence Day Anniversary.
The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose’.
He revealed that six out of the 12 community mining operations in the region had been approved by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
“It is worth noting that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource has formalized the small-scale mining sector”.
“As I speak six of the community mining operations in Prestea Huni-Valley, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Wassa East, Wassa Amenfi East, Wassa Amenfi West and Wassa Amenfi Central have all been activated.”
He said, “It is pleasing to note that due to the practice of the Covid-19 protocols, no cholera case has been recorded in the region since 2022”.
“I hope that we will continue to adhere to the protocols and keep our communities clean as well to keep all of us healthy”.
He said to ensure food sufficiency in the region, an agriculture value chain actors platform in all 14 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region has been created where the actors meet both online and offline to do business.
He said “the services of the Ghanaian Rice farmer, Abraham Odoom, who helped Nigeria to increase their local rice production has also been sought to help enhance rice production in the region using reclaimed lands from mining and inland valleys.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi