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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 29485, member: 2262"] Dr Kenneth Ashigbey wants tougher penalties for foreigners caught mining illegally in Ghana. As leader of the Media Coalition against Illegal Mining, he believes sending these people home just isn't enough to stop what locals call "galamsey." During a TV interview Saturday, Ashigbey pushed for authorities to find and arrest the money people who fund these operations. He thinks the government should declare a state of emergency in areas hurt by illegal mining. Ashigbey wants officials to create a system that monitors every working excavator across Ghana. He demands the complete removal of Legislative Instrument 2462, which currently allows mining inside forest reserves. He disagrees with any plan to merely adjust this law instead of scrapping it entirely. The Media Coalition leader stressed that stronger actions must be taken to make real progress against this problem. Daryl Bosu from A-Rocha Ghana backs a complete restart of the mining permit system. As Deputy Director, he blames the current licensing process for Ghana's mining troubles. Bosu called for firing the Minerals Commission boss as part of cleaning up the sector. He questioned how mining permits rushed through after December 7 could happen without leadership failure. Bosu pointed out that permits have been wrongly granted over major rivers and inside protected forests. Attorney Martin Kpebu believes moving police commanders away from mining areas would help fight illegal operations. He says these transfers would break the friendly relationships between officers and miners. Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, who runs the National Petroleum Authority, explained that economic benefits make stopping illegal mining difficult. Tamakloe suggested creating different job opportunities for people currently involved in illegal mining activities as a practical solution to address the root cause. [/QUOTE]

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