Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli has condemned the headstrong destruction of Ghana’s natural environment by small scale miners.
He said the unbridled crude extraction of alluvium gold had been plaguing the nation with irreversible environmental disaster that must get policy makers and the concerned entities in a deadlock over workable solutions.
Togbe Afede, while addressing a youth and entrepreneurship forum as part of the 2024 Yam Festival, spoke against growing tolerance for the destructive venture.
The Agbogbomefia was responding to concerns over water availability, and expressed worry over what was considered as a lack of priority towards the environment.
“It is an embarrassment to see images from communities that have been victims of ‘galamseyers’. How can we as a nation sit down and watch people dig under people’s homes looking for gold? It looks very primitive,” he said.
He said it was strange that the current happenings in Ghana with the galamsey menace, could not happen elsewhere, even in the neighbouring countries, warning that the damages caused would affect the country for decades.
“It is not only the water bodies that have been contaminated, but even the lands. How to get the chemicals out of those lands in future will be a problem,” he said.
Togbe Afede asserted that the damage caused by small scale mining far outweighed the benefits.
“How can we restore all these degraded lands? We will need billions of dollars to rehabilitate these degraded lands,” he cried.
Togbe Afede said it was time for the country to take steps to safeguard its water resources, and that the Asogli State would make effective an environmental sustainability fund for the regional capital.
“Water is very important so much that Yale University has developed a course on drinking water, because they see the resource as an important universal resource.
They see water as vital to life, without which the crops could not grow, or animals survive.
He made a call to the youth to join the fight against the mining menace and commended those that had already taken up the effort, adding that this had been a huge challenge for the young people within society.
Togbe Afede stressed that the issue was not for only chiefs to fight over, but it was important for the youth to be strongly involved in the advocacy to address the menace.
This year’s yam festival is on the theme: “Lets Ensure Freedom and Justice for All” and the youth forum, had over a thousand young people from across the Ho Municipality in attendance.
Professor Ben Hornyenuga, the Vice Chancellor of the Ho Technical University joined the list of high-level personalities including traditional rulers, who mentored youth on personal, educational and career development and entrepreneurship.
Togbe Afede said the forum served as an avenue for empowering youth and to bring out the entrepreneurial spirit, and shared personal life experiences to inspire them into greatness.
Highlights of the month-long festival includes an Anti-Corruption Day, and a summit of Ewe traditional leaders in West Africa.
The grand durbar comes off on Saturday, October 05, 2024, at the Ho Jubilee Park.
GNA