Presidential Special Envoy for Reparations, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has expressed concern that Ghana’s fight against illegal mining is making only stunted progress..
Speaking in an interview monitored by happyghana.com, the Dr. Spio Garbrah explained that the have been many reports of progress that have spread throughout Ghana’s media space but have failed to translate into evidence of the government’s progress in this fight. “I can’t say I am well informed as those who are actually in the policy making areas and in the space. We all read the newspapers, we all see the brown water bodies…” he stated.
He added that many Ghanaians despite the calls for decisive action on the issue of galamsey are calling for measurements on the progress made by the government which in hand proves response to these calls. “People are even asking we should measure the turbidity rate of water from one year to another and to see whether it is improving or not improving; some are looking at the arrest rates, how many people have been arrested. Others are looking at how many have been prosecuted after being arrested.”
These measures he said are the respective propositions of Ghanaians who seek to have a status report on the fight against illegal mining in Ghana. He said that his little knowledge on the progress made and the absence of evidence in his possession only hints that. “We are not doing as well as many people who would have expected as a country and of course as a government.”
