Story By: Ishmael Barfi
Ghana’s agricultural sector is facing a severe crisis due to the devastating effects of galamsey, or illegal small-scale gold mining and to save the sector, the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) has joined the call for a total ban on galamsey to restore farmlands, water bodies, and natural resources.
Ghana’s once-thriving agricultural sector is struggling to survive due to galamsey’s toxic legacy, which includes polluted water bodies, destroyed livelihoods, health risks, and food insecurity.
A press release signed by the General Secretary, Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, and copied to The New Independent Online, on Monday, 16th September, 2024 indicated that the current alarming facts show that 7,470 galamsey clusters are operating in Ghana, destroying farmlands, water bodies, and exposing informal workers to job insecurity. 2.5 million hectares of forest reserve have been lost to illegal mining.
The rest are 100,000 acres of cocoa farms and 30,000 acres of oil palm plantations have been destroyed whiles the he country loses USD 2.3 billion annually to gold smuggling and USD 2 billion to lost cocoa farms.
According to the release, the consequences of Galamsey enormous citing environmental degradation, leading to crop loss and unfavorable conditions for cocoa cultivation., health risks for citizens, particularly women and children, due to exposure to chemicals and polluted water, economic instability, undermining investor confidence and driving away foreign direct investments. and increased unemployment, food insecurity, and loss of livelihoods for vulnerable groups.
GAWU’s Call to Action:
To restore the Agricultural sector, the General Agricultural Workers Union is urging the government to declare a state of emergency and take immediate action:
– Salvage and Protect: Preserve lands, air, water bodies, and human lives.
– Reclaim and Restore: Prioritize destroyed lands and polluted water bodies.
– Revoke LI 2462: Address the root causes of galamsey.
– Prosecute Perpetrators: Hold accountable those responsible for destroying agricultural lands.
– Sustainable Alternatives: Invest in alternative livelihoods for affected individuals.
GAWU emphasizes that Ghana’s future hangs in the balance, and the government must act to save the agricultural sector.
The union through the press release is calling on all Ghanaians to join the fight against galamsey, support Ghana’s farmers, and protect the nation’s future.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
