Senyo Hosi, the Convenor of the One Ghana Movement, has cautioned against the growing temptation to prioritise the country’s immediate economic needs over the damaging effects of illegal mining. He asserts that making such a trade-off would be a serious mistake for Ghana’s future.
In an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, August 12, Mr. Hosi stated, “Galamsey is an environmental crime. We must recognise the reality of what we are facing. There is often a temptation to balance this issue with the economic needs of the moment. While we need to stabilise the cedi, we cannot do so at the expense of our children’s future and their descendants. We are undermining the very essence of life. Water is life.”
He emphasised that the country cannot afford to sacrifice its water bodies, forest reserves, and human resources for short-term financial gain. “There’s no reason to avoid mining, but we must vigorously fight against environmental crimes and illegal, irresponsible mining practices. Our stance has never been against mining; we advocate for responsible and legal mining.
We cannot continue to destroy our water bodies or forest reserves, and we certainly can’t allow the destruction of families. We are depriving this nation of valuable human resources that could help drive and manage transformative policies for the benefit of future generations. This situation cannot continue.”
Mr. Hosi linked his comments to the tragic military helicopter crash that killed two cabinet ministers and six others in the Adansi Akrofuom district of the Ashanti Region, an incident President John Mahama has promised will be fully investigated.
“We have tried everything; we’ve deployed soldiers, we’ve deployed policemen, and today we have rendered eight families, created over eight widows, all of a sudden, and if we let this pass by and not let it count, that will be a huge block on our own conscience as a people.”
The campaigner revealed that he narrowly escaped being on the ill-fated flight. “As a matter of fact, I could have been on that flight. My colleague Daryl Bosu [Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana] and Dr Ken Ashigbey [both members of the Coalition Against Galamsey] had to go. I was not in town. What I would typically be doing is making sure I’m there.”
By: Abubakar Ibrahim
