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The Paramount Chief of Mampong is asking chiefs to remain resolute in standing their grounds to prevent illegal mining in their jurisdiction.
According to Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, he has even strongly challenged government bodies and has succeeded in preventing them from commencing mining activities within his jurisdiction, which he believes could have led to the destruction of the environment.
He is thus calling on colleague chiefs to stand their ground in preventing all forms of mining that will have negative impact on the environment.
Speaking at the Christop Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition at KNUST in Kumasi, he urged traditional leaders to be bold in protecting the environment in their jurisdiction from being destroyed due to some bad mining practices.
“Some of us (paramountcies) have been bold, and we’ve stuck our neck and chest out to challenge government-established commissions- minerals commission etc. Far from sounding boastful, I kicked them out of my kingdom that you can’t come to Mampong to dig any hole where you want gold. I set the pace and now, others, at least within the Ashanti region, the paramountcies have been bold and assertive in challenging the minerals commission”.
He noted that as a result of the action he took, all major water bodies in his area are clean, and they do not face water shortage issues.
“In Ghana, a good source of drinking water is polluted and gone. But I am happy, come to my kingdom, Mampong at the hills over there, all the seven sources of rivers, on the left-hand side, on the right-hand side, behind where we have St. Monica, that is five over there, Nananom have bestowed on us clean and okay (water) flowing from 1st January to 31st December. I don’t have a water shortage in our kingdom, Mampong. This is what we hope other paramountcies will emulate. Yes, I can undertake it easily, be selfish to allow these so-called Chinese people and I understand a majority of them I don’t know how to term them, they come and bribe us with money. In my case, knocking fee alone, we can’t talk about it over here.”
