Professor Dr. Paul Osei Sampene, a Pathologist and Researcher at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has expressed frustration that illegal mining operators, also known as galamsey, are not being held accountable for their actions.
According to him, the lack of stringent punishment is hindering efforts to combat the menace.
In an interview on Channel One TV’s Point of View, Prof. Dr. Osei Sampene emphasised that irresponsible mining poses a significant threat to various aspects of the country’s development.
He called for the government to take immediate action to address the issue, citing the need for stricter supervision and deterrent punishment.
“Irresponsible mining is what I’ll always go for. I’ll ask the government if it is hearing the voices of the people who have actually called for a state of emergency which is just a matter of stopping the activities of these irresponsible mining, turning around, doing introspective of whatever they are, let’s say those who have been given the license to do, are they doing the right thing?”
“Supervision must be toughened and punishment on these issues, I’ve realised they are not deterrent enough, those punishments should be deterrent because if you destroy water bodies just as how it’s been destroyed, what it means is that that chain goes on.”