Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has condemned illicit small-scale mining (Galamsey), calling it a national enemy.
The esteemed traditional leader stressed that inaction is no longer an option for authorities, given the severe environmental threats posed by illegal mining practices.
“What could be more serious for a nation than to have its entire water supply system at risk? What does the law do when one pours mercury into the same water supply knowing fully that it can kill? Galamsey is an environmental enemy for the nation and to do nothing is no longer an option”, he said during the Bar Conference held by the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi.
The Asantehene is not alone in raising concerns about the Galamsey crisis. Governance expert Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah also expressed his worries, urging President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to address the issue.
He noted that the president’s silence is troubling to observers and called on him to declare a state of emergency in regions severely affected by illegal mining activities.
He noted that Galamsey poses a serious threat to the nation’s existence, given its damaging impact on water bodies and the environment as a whole.
