Otumfuo Bluntly Tells Armah Buah: Deal Decisively With Galamsey Kingpins …Condemns Sale Of Public Lands To Public Officials

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, has recommended the development of alternative livelihood programmes to cater for the youth.

According to him, most of the youth are into illegal mining because of lack of sustainable and decent jobs as source of their livelihoods, even after successfully completing tertiary education.

He has, therefore, urged the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Armah-Kofi Buah to prioritise the root cause of illegal mining to help sanitise the forest reserves, water bodies and the environment.

Giving audience to the sector minister, who called on him at the Manhyia Palace, in Kumasi, last weekend, the Ashanti King also tasked the government to go after the kingpins who are behind illegal mining.

The Asantehene noted that apprehending and prosecuting these kingpins is the best way to go and that focusing on the youth who go out to seek their daily bread would be meaningless and a waste of time and resources.

His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu also advised the Lands Minister to ensure that the phenomenon of the indiscriminate sale of public lands to public officials is halted under his tenure and lauded the Ministry for the aggressive afforestation initiative, dubbed Tree for Life Initiative, to which he pledged his support.

The Asantehene commended the Minister for the visit and expressed overwhelming confidence in him to help deliver as the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources. He urged the Heads of Agencies and other officials under the ministry to give him the needed support.

Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, on his part, announced that the government intended to embark on a mission to reform the mining and forest sub-sectors of the economy, for which Otumfuo’s support and guidance would essentially be required.

He expressed gratitude for the Asantehene’s outstanding and exemplary leadership, which is manifested in the lack of land-related disputes in the Ashanti Region and appealed to the Asante Overlord to share his wisdom and leadership with him, as he seeks to transform the lands sector through the execution of innovative and transformative projects.

The Minister commended Otumfuo for some major interventions that he has made in the past and appealed for support for him and the government, as they chart a new path, which he was convinced would lead to a complete turnaround of the situation.

He expressed worry over the devastating impact of galamsey on the country’s natural resources, noting that 44 of the country’s 288 Forest Reserves have been devastated by galamsey activities, with the turbidity level of the country’s major water bodies moving from 5,000 NTU to 12000 NTU.

Minister Armah-Kofi Buah emphasised the urgency of the situation and outlined some immediate and radical initiatives taken by the government to address the problem.

He indicated that government was committed to the establishment of an 18-member committee of experts to review the licensing regime, reclassification of the mining categories and overhauling of the Community Mining Scheme, among others.

The Minister was happy that Otumfuo supports government’s reset agenda.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, who accompanied the Land’s Minister to Manhyia, also expressed his profound gratitude to Otumfuo for his continued support and advice and assured him of his commitment and readiness in working with the government to deal with the galamsey menace.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources was accompanied by heads of the agencies under the Ministry, including Minerals Commission and Forestry Commission.

The post Otumfuo Bluntly Tells Armah Buah: Deal Decisively With Galamsey Kingpins …Condemns Sale Of Public Lands To Public Officials appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

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