Plans will be put in place by the incoming government to regulate the activities of small-scale mining in the country as part of efforts to create jobs for unemployed youth in the country, Professor Joseph Albert Quarm, Member of Parliament for Manso Nkwanta, has revealed.
According to him, due to the illegality of mining activities, popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’, in his constituency, more people are unable to take part in it even though they have the desire to engage in, but said should it be streamlined, destruction to farmlands and water bodies through such methods of mining would be avoided, he said.
His comments follow concerns raised by some galamsey operators in his constituencies that he has started haunting them in a bid to bring to a halt their illegal mining activities.
Akwasi Adei, spokesperson for galamsey operators at Manso-Nkwanta in the Amansie West district of the Ashanti Region, told Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM: “Some journalists came to tell us that the MP-elect had raised concerned about our activities.
“We were shocked because we were assured prior to the elections that we would be allowed to do our work (galamsey), so we do not understand why the MP-elect has started haunting us.
“We want parliament as a body to look into our operations and determine the way forward. For us, that will be more ideal than one MP deciding what we have to do. The youth do not have work doing – most of us are frustrated and so some have fled the community, and so we want to be allowed to do our work.”
But responding to the allegation on the same programme, Prof Quarm noted: “What is hurting our people are the unscrupulous persons who have taken over community lands, destroying farms and water bodies.
“I am a land reclamation expert. I did my master’s and doctorate degree in mining and so I have the knowledge on how to deal with the mining situation in the area. Before the elections, I assured the people that we will regulate the small-scale mining in order to improve on their standards of living.”
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com/100.5FM
