This has been an eventful two weeks in the fight to save our land, forests and river bodies in #Ghana. Officials of the Government of Ghana and public institutions empowered to act continue to explain away their unwillingness to arrest and prosecute the board and owners of Akonta Mining even after unrefutable evidence of the latter's activities in Tano Nimre forest has been provided.
Part two of Multimedia's Erastus Asare Donkor's documentary #Destruction4Gold aired with even more shocking pictures and videos of communities along River Tano with no water to drink, even bigger gullies along its banks and unimaginable destruction of the forests and rivers in Tarkwa Nsuaem Constituency. The ensuing accusation and counter accusation between a claimant to the stool of Dompim-Pepesa, Nana Nyonwah Panyin IV and Government officials - MP, MCE and Regional Minister and others resulted in the butchering of the former's supporter, with the community currently living a state of great insecurity.
This notwithstanding, citizens in communities like Assemkrom and Adjakaa in Aowin Constituency, Western North, have begun to stand up for themselves. A very compelling petition, put together with the support of Rev'd Father Joseph Kwame Blay, a Catholic priest who believes strongly in protecting our environment as an integral part of our stewardship as a people, have yielded the results we all yearn for. This week, the political and traditional leaders and the citizens have all agreed that THERE SHALL BE NO GALAMSEY OR COMMUNITY MINING in Assemkrom. We join the passionate youth who stood up for their community in the face of adversary and everyone who made this possible to say Congratulations!!. Citizens' action does work and is critical if we are to succeed in saving our communities and our rivers. Please check on your community, mobilize and follow the footsteps of Assemkrom. For rivers #Tano, #Birim #Offin #Ankobra #Pra and all.