President Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for Defence to deploy additional military personnel to strengthen “Operation Halt,” the government’s initiative aimed at curbing illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, particularly in areas near water bodies and forest reserves.
This decision is in response to the growing pressure from Organised Labour, which had demanded an immediate halt to galamsey activities and threatened to go on strike if the government failed to act decisively.
In a release today, Wednesday, October 9, 2024, the Presidency announced that the operation would be significantly bolstered, with the deployment of naval boats on polluted river bodies to enforce the immediate cessation of all mining activities—whether legal or illegal.
The expanded military presence is expected to enhance efforts to safeguard Ghana’s natural resources and prevent further environmental destruction caused by illegal mining.
The President has also directed the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to immediately suspend the enforcement of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462).
The statement noted that the President has directed a set up of four specialised courts to deal exclusively with illegal mining cases, noting that the Attorney General has been tasked with working alongside the Chief Justice to increase the number of courts handling such cases.
In a bid to decisively combat illegal mining President Akufo-Addo has urged Organised Labour to encourage all presidential candidates and their political parties to sign a national pact.
