Expert Panel to Discuss Policy Failures, Institutional Weaknesses in Fight Against Galamsey Tonight on NorvanReports and EGP X Space
Illegal mining practices, widely known in Ghanaian local parlance as ‘galamsey,’ have wreaked havoc on the country’s land and water bodies, with significant adverse long-term health-related issues for all Ghanaians. Water—whether treated by the Ghana Water Company Limited or not—from the polluted water bodies is the main source of drinking water for citizens.
Already, there have been several media reports of newborn births with the babies born showing various forms of deformities.
Dr. George Manful of the Frimpong Manso Institute and a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official has described the scale of mercury contamination in the country’s waterways as “alarming,” with the chemical persisting in water systems for centuries.
According to him, the neurotoxin can remain active in water bodies for up to 1,000 years, with a half-life of 444 years.
With Ghana’s small-scale mining sector producing over 1.2 million ounces of gold annually, this could mean that up to 30 tons of mercury is being discharged into the country’s rivers each year.
The fight against galamsey from the government front has weakened over the years with the government showing almost no commitment to the fight until recent protests by citizens, Faith-based groups, CSOs, coupled with threats of nationwide industrial strike by Organised Labour demanding immediate action from Government on the galamsey menace.
The allowance of the practice of galamsey over several decades and the seeming inaction of successive governments to curtail the practice once and for all makes citizens question whether policy failures and institutional weaknesses on the part of government are the main driving factors enabling the continuous practice of illegal mining.
In tonight’s NorvanReports and Economic Governance Platform (EGP) X Space Discussion on the topic, “Policy Failures and Institutional Weaknesses: A Critical Analysis of Ghana’s #StopGalamseyNow Efforts, an expert panel consisting of the Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye; CEO of Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson; Convening Member of the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, Senyo Hosi and Emmanuel Adjei Danso of the Industrial Labour Union, will have an enlightening and intriguing discourse on the galamsey menace proffering to the government long-term solutions that can significantly aid its efforts to halt the illegal practice.
🚨 Join the crucial conversation on NorvanReports! 🚨
📅 Sunday, October 13, 2024
🕖 7:00 PM GMT
Topic: “Policy Failures and Institutional Weaknesses: A Critical Analysis of Ghana’s #StopGalamseyNow Efforts”
Join the Xspace discussion here: https://x.com/i/spaces/1vAGROXywbgJl
Bring your questions and insights as we dissect Ghana’s fight against illegal mining. Let’s explore solutions together!
#StopGalamseyNow #GhanaEnvironment #MiningPolicy #NorvanReports #EnvironmentalJustice #SustainableMining #GhanasFuture
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the change!
Join us on Xspace and make your voice heard. 🇬🇭🌍
