The Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s fight against illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’, is unprecedented.
Mr Jinapor believes that the president’s commitment to end the illegal small-scale mining in the country within his first term in office is unprecedented under the 4th Republic of Ghana.
He was addressing the Members of Parliament’s Appointments Committee during his public vetting for the ministerial post.
“By all measure, I want to repeat and I want to insist that in all humility and modesty, the effort of President Akufo-Addo in his first term in dealing with illegal small-scale mining is unprecedented. I am not too sure in the Fourth Republic there’s ever been any government which has taken on this fight in a manner that he did,” he said.
“He ought to be commended and I think that it was courageous, bold step that he took, I don’t find anything as a failure about it, there were a lot of successes chalked, there were challenges in respect of illegal mining in our country,” he showered praises on President Akufo-Addo and his government.
Mr Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Damango, said President Akufo- Addo’s call for an open stakeholder discussion on illegal small-scale mining was apt and appropriate.
“The call by the president was apt, was appropriate and I believe that it was on the back of unnecessary politicisation,” he added.
The minister-designate insisted that President Akufo-Addo’s decision to dissolve the Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) had nothing to do with failiure by the government.
“The dissolution of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining has nothing to do with failure on the part of the president or the New Patriotic Party government,” he stressed.
He, however, assured Parliament and the entire public of his commitment to work with stakeholders to roll out better policies and strategies to transform the lands and natural resources sector if given the nod by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
