Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu has disclosed that his out fit is taking steps to ensuring that those involved in illegal mining are made to sign reclamation bond.

According to him, it will protect the vegetative cover which is being destroyed by those engaged in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he also explained that they are also taking steps to ensure that those mining in water bodies are also banned as such acts are destroying water bodies which will be making it difficult for Ghanaians to access potable drinking water in future.

"The Environmental Protection Agency has as part of its duties sole responsibility in ensuring the safety of the environment.

"It, however, behooves on us to ensure that the forest and water bodies are protected in the wake of illegal mining.

"Government is committed to fighting illegal mining and we will do our part as an institution to ensure that illegal mining does not affect water bodies and the forest reserves," he said.

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Background

Akufo-Addo was never determined to fight illegal mining – Sammy Gyamfi

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said President Nana Akufo-Addo was never committed to the fight against illegal mining also known as galamsey.

The opposition party’s position comes at a time the country’s water bodies have been more heavily polluted than in previous years and illegal mining activities soaring by the day.

Reacting to a galamsey report authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, said the revelations in the report vindicates the party’s claim that government was never determined to fight illegal mining.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng who is a former Chairman of the now defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, in his report, accused some stalwarts of the Akufo-Addo government of interfering in illegal small-scale mining fight.

He mentioned former senior minister Yaw Osafo Maafo who is now an advisor to the President, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and leading member of the NPP, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko as persons who interfered in his work.

But addressing the media at the ‘Moment of Truth Series’ at the NDC headquarters, Sammy Gyamfi contends that galamsey was bound to flourish under the NPP government.

“Galamsey was obviously bound to flourish under the corrupt Akufo-Addo-Bawumia regime because it was the central source for illegal gold purchases used in this complex money laundering scheme which has been uncovered by Aljazeera. This scheme is being perpetrated against the state by highly powerful forces.”

He added, “As we the NDC have always maintained, President Akufo-Addo’s claim of fighting galamsey was the biggest scam ever to be perpetrated on Ghanaians. Today, the NDC stands to be vindicated as a report authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has confirmed our long-held opinion. There has never been any genuine commitment or attempt to fight galamsey by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government. The said report shows clearly that the so-called fight against galamsey was a charade calculated to enable top government and NPP functionaries to appropriate and take over the elicit galamsey trading”.