The Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Ken Ashigbey, has urged the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to disclose the names of individuals who imported excavators into Ghana.
He believes this is crucial in cutting off the source of funding for illegal mining activities, which continue to devastate the country’s forests.
Speaking on TV3’s KeyPoints on Saturday, March 22, he stressed the need for accountability and public scrutiny of those fueling the illegal mining menace.
“We need to cut the source of funding for the purchase of excavators being used for illegal mining. The identities of the owners of these excavators should also be made public so we can name and shame them,” he stated.
Ashigbey emphasized that tracking chassis numbers on excavators would easily reveal their owners. “If you take the chassis number, you will be able to trace it to who owns it,” he added.
He further called for financial investigations to trace the money behind the purchase of these machines.
“We should look for the sources of the funding for the excavators, they should trace money… we are waiting for the minister to publish the list of those who imported into the country, then we know who are bringing it.”
Highlighting the worsening state of Ghana’s forests, Ashigbey revealed that over 44 forest reserves have been affected by illegal mining. “A lot of the forests are experiencing illegal mining, eating away the forests,” he lamented.
While acknowledging the government’s efforts, he noted that the current administration inherited the crisis, making it a difficult challenge to tackle. “And I sympathize with them because it gives them a lot of work to do,” he admitted.
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