Involve Community in Galamsey fight – Hon Osei Kyei Mensah

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame constituency in the Ashanti region, Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has called for the involvement of the communities in the fight against illegal mining.

He stated that the chiefs and the district assemblies will have the legal authority to monitor the activities of the miners to protect the forest and the water bodies.

The Suame MP made the call on Otec FM’s morning show ‘Nyansapo’, hosted by Captain Koda, on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, who is the Majority Leader in Parliament, noted that the communities, who are the custodians of the lands, are powerless in the fight against the menace for lack of ‘power’.

“Mining concessions are given to people in Accra without the involvement of the communities, thus rending the chiefs and the district assemblies powerless to control them, without even benefitting them,” he stated.

“The chiefs and the district assemblies must be empowered to monitor the activities of the miners. They will be in legal positions in controlling their activities to protect the water bodies and the forests, he added.

He posited that “in as much as they are protecting the environment, the communities will also be benefiting by way of project infrastructures by the miners in the form of corporate social responsibility”.

The Suame MP also believed that the government will also benefit immensely in tax collection with the involvement of the district assemblies.

Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Ebenezer Amankwah