Today, Mother's Day, May 9 marks exactly two months since we first submitted this petition to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Parliament and all sixteen people / groups mentioned in this petition. We had 3,500 signatures at the time. Since then, our petition has continued to garner support from Ghanaians and sympathizers across the globe. Today we are at 9,100 signatures and counting. We have formed the Galamsey Action Group and continue to Educate, Expose and Engage.
The Government seems to finally do something about the extremely polluted water bodies in Ghana (See #Juen lagoon below). After a two week ultimatum during which all those mining in and around rivers and in forest reserves were asked to park and leave, soldiers of the Ghana Armed Forces were deployed to sweep River Pra and rid it of any mining activity, equipment and miners. Similar sweep on the rest of the rivers like Ankobra, Tano, Birim, Offin and others are yet to commence. While some miners have heeded the call and left, some still remain in places like #Esiama in #Ellembelle district, with equipment hidden in the bushes.
What is next?
1. We need Ghana's destroyed rivers cleared and restored as a matter of urgency.
2. We need Ghana's laws around minerals and other underground resources overhauled to move it from a colonial era artifact to a 21st century instrument for development of local infrastructure and human capital.
3. We need Ghana's mining industry redesigned to accommodate a formalized, legal, well regulated and thriving small scale mining sector that is environmentally conscious, and
we most definitely do not EVER want to see the wanton destruction we are seeing today ever again.
Please join us, share our petition and share our message.