Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen and President of Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana on Friday held a meeting with thousands of youth who are into illegal mining at Kwabeng, capital of Atiwa West District.
The dialogue was to assist the youth in the community to desist from indulging in illegal mining and venture into faming.
Nana Oboadie toured galamsey sites around in the community to sensitise the youth on the dangers of illegal mining and reintroduced the Government flagship programme, Planting For Food and Jobs (PFJ) as the alternate to the galamsey.
The PRO explained that, after interacting with some illegal miners, he ascertained the fact that most of them are stranded without money to transport them back home after the military intensified their operation to halt the illegal mining.
According to Nana Oboadie, some of these illegal miners are from the three Northern Regions, Brong Ahafo, Volta and other parts of the country.
“I took them through orientation taught them the dangers of the pollution of the land, water bodies and the importance of our environment linked to our health”
He added that a man who gave his name as Kwame Francis, an illegal miner who spoke on behalf of some group of galamseyers at Kwabeng told him that though they support the Government’s decision to ban illegal mining but pleaded with Government to assist them to go into farming as soon as possible else they can not cater for their families.
