Convenor of the One Ghana Movement, Senyo Hosi, has cautioned against the growing tendency to weigh Ghana’s short-term economic needs against the long-term environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr. Hosi described galamsey as an “environmental crime” that should never be rationalised for the sake of stabilising the economy.
“There’s always the temptation to want to balance it with the economic needs of the time. We need to hold the cedi, agree, but we cannot do that by jeopardising the future of our children and their children. We are destroying the meaning of life. Water is life,” he said.
Mr. Hosi stressed that while mining can be an important part of Ghana’s development, it must be done responsibly and within the law. He warned that sacrificing water bodies, forest reserves, and human capital for short-term financial gains would rob future generations of essential resources.
“We can’t be destroying our water bodies. We can’t be destroying our forest reserves, and now we are destroying families… This cannot be made to continue,” he added.
The anti-galamsey advocate linked his comments to the tragic military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom district of the Ashanti Region, which claimed the lives of two cabinet ministers and six others. President John Mahama has pledged a full investigation into the incident.
Mr. Hosi revealed he narrowly escaped being on the ill-fated flight, explaining that his colleagues; Daryl Bosu, Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, and Dr. Ken Ashigbey, both members of the Coalition Against Galamsey were aboard in his stead because he was out of town.
“As a matter of fact, I could have been on that flight… What I would typically be doing is making sure I’m there,” he said.