President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for Defence to deploy additional military forces to intensify the ongoing operation halt which aims to curb illegal mining activities.
The President also directed the Ministry of the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend with immediate effect the enforcement of L.I 2462 on mining in forest reserves.
This comes after a meeting with Organised Labour on Tuesday, October 8 after the latter had announced they would declare a nationwide strike on October 10 if the government fails to take action against illegal mining.
In a statement issued on October 9 by the Office of the Presidency, President Akufo-Addo outlined a number of measures to address concerns raised by Organised Labour.
These include; a directive for the Defence Minister to deploy additional military forces to intensify ‘Operation Halt’ in curbing illegal mining activities.
“The operation will be bolstered by the deployment of naval boats on polluted river bodies to ensure the immediate cessation of all mining activities, legal or illegal, in and around these water bodies,” the statement said.
In addition to the measures, President Akufo-Addo has also directed the Attorney General to work with the Chief Justice to “increase the number of courts handling cases related to illegal mining” in order to “enhance legal action against illegal mining activities.”
The government also urged the presidential candidates and the various political parties to sign a pact committing themselves to fight illegal mining.
The president further requested that Organised Labour suspend its planned strike action on October 10 and collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure effective combat of the galamsey menace.
Organised Labour has also suspended its intended strike on October 10, 2024. This comes after they expressed satisfaction with the government’s measures announced to tackle illegal mining in the country.