The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has penned a heartfelt congratulatory letter to the President, His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, acknowledging the trust the people of Ghana had bestowed upon his leadership.
“The overwhelming support and endorsement from the people of Ghana is a testament to the trust they have placed in your leadership and vision for the nation’s future. We commend your commitment to advancing the growth and development of the country”, the association noted.
In a statement signed and released on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, by the General Secretary of GNASSM, the small scale miners emphasized their commitment to collaborating with President Mahama’s administration to promote environmental stewardship, particularly, protecting water bodies and forest reserves.
GNASSM acknowledged the critical role small-scale miners play in Ghana’s mining sector, assuring that they “remain steadfast in our mission to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The association highlighted the barriers they have surmounted in collaboration with successive governments and noted that a lot more needed to be done in the fight against illegal mining and environmental degradation.
They, in particular, called for collaboration in the areas of enforcing the mining laws, especially those on environmental degradation and water pollution; engineering, designing of equipment, site planning and layout and the use of mining engineers.
They also want mining communities, civil society organizations, mining associations, and the media to be empowered or build on their capacities to deal with illegal mining menace at the local level.
Additionally, they want a strong partnership with the government to improve on attitudinal change of people towards the environment.
“As we move forward, we are committed to deepening this collaboration to ensure that Ghana’s mining industry thrives in an environmentally responsible manner, benefitting both the nation’s economy and its future generations”, the statement in part read.