EPA gets new equipment to improve monitoring, fight galamsey

The Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP) under the European Union (EU) has handed over a set of equipment to support the new Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Compliance Monitoring System.

With the upsurge in technology for easy access to intelligent information faster than ever before, the purpose of the Compliance Monitoring System is to prevent, deter, and fight corruption in the mining, oil, and gas sector.

Gadgets presented to the EPA included printers, tablets, a drone and a desktop to ease the burden of inadequate field workers of the EPA as well as to enable a stronger evidence-based policy design.

Speaking at the ceremony dubbed “Developing a risk management tool for Compliance,” the Acting Executive Director of EPA, John Alexis Pwamang said the presentation by ARAP came swiftly after his outfit had a call from government to do something about the recurring illegal mining activities in the country

Mr Pwamang indicated that the use of the new equipment will ensure that mining companies comply with terms and conditions in their permit, through an excellent testing system.



He further revealed that the pilot phase of the new Compliance Evaluating System will be at Dunkwa Offin in the Central Region, after which subsequent activities will be expanded to three undisclosed districts.



Sergio Piccolo, who led the EU-ARAP delegation in his address, mentioned that the EU is pleased to support this priority area of the EPA thorugh the ARAP programme while reiterating that ARAP is devoted to environmental and natural resources, which are essential for the national economy.

According to him, “transparency in the management and use of revenues from natural resources, including extractive industries (mining, oil and gas), is a focal area of intervention.”



Therefore, he expects that in the long term, the monitoring system will be used across the country in the mining sector as well as spread to all other natural resources.