President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been told to punish persons in his government and party who are neck-deep in illegal small-scale mining activities (galamsey) in the country.

Dr Steve Manteaw, Chair of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas said until that is done, the country will not make any stride in ending the galamsey menace.

He told TV3 after Day One of the Consultative Forum on illegal small scale mining in Accra on Wednesday, April 14 that “Almost everybody who had a role to play in stemming illegalities in the mining sector were themselves players in the sector, they were themselves people who actually were involved in the illegalities. As a result of that, it was difficult to hold people to account.

“I consider that the president is the person with the ultimate power and authority in this country and until he demonstrates that he has the political will to deal with highly-placed people in his government and his party who gets involved in illegal mining we won’t go anywhere.”

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has said that he is resolute in enforcing the laws on galamsey in the country.

He said this while delivering a speech at the National Dialogue on Small Scale Mining Wednesday April 14.

“I am determined to enforce the laws on illegal mining no matter the subject, high or low. I will, however, not act on hearsay or mere allegations without more. I will not hesitate to act though where the evidence is hard before the police.

“And I will do so irrespective of the standing of the person or persons involved. That is the true meaning of equality before the law,” he stressed.

“There are aspects of our national life which are of first subject matters of partisan politics. We must however come to the understanding that small-scale mining with the requirement to do away with the illegalities in that sector should be beyond partisan politics.

“Some subjects simply cannot be part of our everyday politicking and I use this forum to insist that illegal small-scale mining and matters relating to it should be one of such issues requiring national efforts,” he said.