The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr Angel Carbonu, has called on the government to show greater commitment to the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

His comments come as Organised Labour prepares for a nationwide strike on Thursday, October 10, demanding stricter measures to curb the environmental damage caused by galamsey, including a total ban on mining in forest reserves.

Despite President Akufo-Addo's appeal on October 3 for labour groups to reconsider the strike, Organized Labour has confirmed that the industrial action will proceed, citing the government's failure to offer concrete solutions to the issue.

Mr Angel Carbonu urged the government to take swift action to regulate the mining sector and protect the environment.

"The government should not wait for Parliament to reconvene before taking action on galamsey; they should act now.

The strike will go ahead as planned because the government has not provided any clear assurances on how it will address the illegal mining menace," Mr Carbonu stated.

He called for the government to declare a state of emergency in mining areas and temporarily suspend small-scale mining activities to allow for the development of proper regulatory measures.

"We want the government to show a serious commitment to fighting galamsey.

We want them to show that they care. By now, the people involved should have been arrested.

Since we announced the strike, there has been no sign of commitment from the government to resolve this menace," he added.

The nationwide strike is expected to place further pressure on the government to take decisive action to combat illegal mining, which has caused significant environmental degradation and threatens the country’s water resources, he noted.

He spoke in an interview on Accra-based Adom FM on Tuesday, 8 October 2024.