CEO of Ebenage Herbal Urges Government to Address Galamsey in “Resetting Ghana” Agenda

Chief Executive Officer of Ebenage Herbal, Dr Ebenezer Agyemang has called on the NDC government to prioritize the fight against illegal mining, also known as “galamsey,” as part of its “Resetting Ghana” agenda.

During the 15th Anniversary and 12th graduation ceremony of Say-Adsam Educational complex at Kotwi, the producer of Hepa plus, Pavi and plasma emphasized the critical need for urgent action to mitigate the negative impact of illegal mining activities on the environment and public health.

Dr Agyemang, underscored the severe consequences of galamsey, particularly the contamination of water bodies, foods, and herbs which has had devastating effects on communities in mining areas. He called for an immediate halt to all illegal mining activities to recover all our water bodies and lands.

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Dr Agyemang added that, I’d care is not taken Ghana will import water Plantain cassava and others before we can enjoy good food.

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He has then urged all Herbal doctors to start cultivate their own herbs for future use as he himself has begun Planting his own tress and others leaves for medicinal purpose.

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pause, he suggested, would allow water bodies to recover and provide a window for the government to introduce sustainable mining practices.

“We are hopeful that by the end of the six months, we will have seen improvements in water quality, and the government will have proposed viable solutions for sustainable small-scale mining,” Amissah-Nyarkoh said.

He also proposed the introduction of alternative livelihood programs to help miners transition to legal, environmentally friendly occupations. Additionally, the GCNH recommended that small-scale miners and residents of mining communities undergo medical screenings to assess the impact of mercury exposure on their health and to facilitate early treatment where necessary.

The coalition’s concerns were echoed by traditional leaders from mining regions, including the Queen Mother of the Upper Axim traditional area, Obaahemaa Eza Nkrumah. She clarified that many of the illegal mining activities taking place in their forests were conducted by outsiders, often with official documentation from higher authorities, leaving local leaders powerless to stop the destruction of the land.

Dr Agyemang is worried that unbridled illegal mining activities could have devastating consequences on the manufacturing of herbal drugs and food we eat in the country.

According to him, the contamination of water sources through galamsey could lead to the importation of water to drink and to support the production of herbal medicines.

“The activities of illegal Mining have devastated our water bodies. Making it expensive for herbal companies to treat water for production purposes”

“If this environmental degradation continues, we may soon import water to support our local manufacturing industry”.

He says the production of essential herbal products depends on access to good-quality water.

“We cannot afford to compromise on the quality of our drugs. The health and well-being of our citizens depend on it,” he emphasized.

Dr Ebenezer Agyemang has also has urged the government to invest in organic farming of medicinal plants to improve the quality of herbal medicines and standards.

According to him, most medicinal plants had gone into extinction, while the wholesomeness of the available ones had been comprised due to application of farming chemicals such as pesticides, weedicides and chemicals used for mining.

Dr Agyemang said standardisation of traditional and alternative medicine hinged on the quality of preparation of the medicines which was guaranteed by the availability, and wholesomeness of the raw materials hence if these qualities were tempered with, standardisation becomes difficult.

He indicated that if focus was not directed at the investment in organic plant materials farming by stakeholders and the cultivation of medicinal plants by practitioners, diseases that were treated in the past could no longer be treated with same plants in modern times because of the unwholesomeness of the materials.