The president of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Yaw Acheampong Boafo says government must be honest and bold in dealing with influential persons behind the Illegal Mining (Galamsey) Menace.
According to Mr Boafo, the fight against the devastating Galamsey menace characterizing the country’s forests and water bodies can only be properly addressed if the powerful individuals behind it are identified and prosecuted.
The GBA president asserted that the harmful and debilitating effects of the Galamsey menace are very visible and cannot be ignored.
“Like a plague that refuses to go away, helped in part by the activities of some greedy lawless and irresponsible Ghanaians it has succeeded in wrecking an incapable toll on our forests and water bodies and the livelihoods of thousands of families, lands for the cultivation of staple food and cash crops have been affected” he continued
To him, truth can be attributed to the Paediatric Society of Ghana’s recent statement by its president, Dr. John Avapya establishing from studies how the galamsey menace is contributing to deaths among children as well as cognitive defects which affect their school performance and suspected to cause continental malformation.
He expressed that government, political leadership and key stakeholders must show more political will and integrity in decisively dealing with the galamsey menace.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Ghana Bar Association Conference at UCC, he noted that the GBA looks forward to identifying and prosecuting the very people perpetuating the act rather than going after the young men and women at the Galamsey sites.
He stressed that “Galamsey can only thrive if powerful persons in society are actively funding such menace”
On Corruption, Mr Acheampong Boafo revealed that the government has been unable to wholly deal with government appointees and officials who have engaged in corruption and corrupt-related practices.
He said Ghana cannot be proud and satisfied with how she has fed on the recent ranking on the Transparency International Corruption Index and the Index of Public Integrity.
He, therefore, called for the need to have a system where laws and sanctions for breaches are consistently and fairly enforced; where people in public offices who embezzle resources are dealt with according to law.
Read also: My government is keen on fighting corruption – Akufo-Addo
Source: Portia Owusuaa Quanii/ATLFMNEWS
