The Civil Society Platform Ghana on the SDGs has warned that Ghana may miss all 17 Sustainable Development Goal targets by 2030 due to the activities of illegal mining.
The Civil Society Platform made up of approximately 500 CSOs, said that they fully support the demands and intended actions of Organised Labour, particularly the call for a state of emergency in affected areas.
Addressing the press in Accra, on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the Co-Chair of the Civil Society Platform on SDGs, Beauty Emefa Narteh, demanded that the president take immediate action to avert the destruction of the environment.
“We reaffirm our commitment that there is sustainable development indeed in Ghana. The Ghana CSO platform on SDGs has observed with great worry the widespread illegal and irresponsible mining we all call galamsey and we have also witnessed its negative impact on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is important to note that the issue of galamsey is widespread, irresponsible mining affects all the SDGs.
“Without combating galamsey, and other forms of illegal mining in Ghana, we will not be able to achieve the SDGs by the year 2030, which is barely six years away and also we will not be able to achieve agenda 2063.
“The Ghana CSO platform on SDG is therefore demanding immediate action from the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and as we all know and attest to, our president is one of the prestigious former Co-Chair of the eminent group for sustainable development goals advocate. it is in this spirit that we are calling on the president to take this immediate action.
“The first action we are requesting is the immediate revocation of LI 2426 and the withdrawal of all licenses that have been granted for recognisance, prospecting, exploration and or mining in forest reserves and protected reserves.
“We also call for all licenses that have been granted for mining concessions that span across water bodies. Additionally, we are seeking the enforcement of all illegal mining laws including and preventing mining in water bodies and forest reserves.
“We are also seeking the enforcement of the law that talks about buffer zone policy, which is, that no mining activity should be done within 100 meters of any water body. So, we are asking for the enforcement of these activities,” she stated.
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