A female chief has been highly commended by Ghanaians due to her firm position against illegal mining also known as galamsey in her community, rejecting a substantial cash offer and ordering the confiscation of heavy-duty equipment belonging to the galamseyers.
Nana Quasie Essiem IV, Chief of Whindo in Effia Kwesimintsim in the Western Region of Ghana, indicated that the illegal miners came to her town and a community member led them to her house where they offered Ghc2 million along with various enticing offers in exchange for her consent to permit illegal gold mining in her town.
Nana Essiem’s courage and determination in standing up to the illegal miners has been praised by community members and the public. This comes at a time where concerns have been raised about the alarming at which illegal mining is destroying Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies, as well as the indifference displayed by certain Chiefs in assisting the government in the fight against galamsey, with some of them reportedly complicit in the illicit trade.
“I need money, we all need money, but I refuse to take that kind of money and put the community’s future at risk for it,” Nana Essiem said in an interview monitored by smartandstuck.com.
Explaining how she was approached by the Chinese investors, Nana Essiem revealed that a community member came to her privately and revealed their intent to mine to her which she disapproved of.
However, the young man together with his Chinese collaborators visited her Palace to formally introduce themselves and persuade her with monetary benefits if she agrees to their demands which she rejected.
But, in her absence, the Chinese nationals together with local collaborators had their way into the community and destroyed the vegetation cover ready to mine which she later got wind of and called for the seizure of their mining equipment which have been transported to the Regional Police Command for safe keeping. Items seized include Changfang machines, excavators and other mining equipment.
“I can tell my people and my country that the answer is still no to mining, and it will stay that way for as long as I am in charge of this town.”
She bluntly said, “no” regardless of whether or not you have the required operating and other licenses and permissions.
“We have an obligation to safeguard our land since it provides for our livelihood and is held in trust for generations yet to be born”, she stressed.
