A Special Aide for former President John Mahama has said that his next government will look into granting amnesty to alleged illegal miners awaiting prosecution in jail and some convicted miners.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Joyce Bawa-Mogtari said that it is unfair that foreign nationals and government appointees implicated in the Prof Frimgpong Boateng report on illegal mining have been left scot-free, while the Ghanaians with no voice suffer.
“If there are many of our brothers and sisters languishing in prisons because of illegal mining, certainly this is a matter that we must look at within the context of the Frimpong Boateng Report, within the context of the corruption that has engulfed Akufo-Addo and his government, within the context of the allegations which Mr Mahama has pledged to investigate and prosecute where possible,” she said.
Joyce Bawa-Mogtari said if people are being bandied together and thrown into prison without necessarily going before the law, and in some cases wait years for a trial, there needs to be an investigation into it for some interventions to be employed.
On addressing illegal mining in the next NDC government, she said it will serve the country’s interest to have stakeholders in communities join the the conversation.
“Note that all these joint actions have largely been maybe joint military action, joint police, joint citizens that, but it has never actually worked in tandem with stakeholders. Various opinion leaders are very worried about this canker,” she stated.
Furthermore, she noted that if the party wins the upcoming election, it will invest $500 million to combat the illegal mining menace, known locally as ‘galamsey’.
Joyce Bawa-Mogtari told Evans Mensah, host of the show, that this issue is of great concern, and additional state resources will be invested to address it.
The former Deputy Transport Minister said, “John Mahama actually said in his speech at the University of Mines and Energy, for example, that at least $500 million will be deployed first into research to get data and of course using modern technology.”
“Everybody’s interested in this conversation…there is something that modern technology does for us. It makes things much easier and presents a better photograph and actually satisfies something that humans cannot do,” she explained on Monday.
