MMDCEs to be assessed on ability to fight illegal mining 

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, says the fate of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) regarding their continuous stay in office hinges on their ability to effectively fight illegal mining popularly known as ‘galamsey’ in their respective jurisdictions.

Another key performance to assess them will be optimal revenue mobilization. 

Hajia Alima Mahama said any MMDCE who fails in these two major areas of their work could lose their jobs during their evaluation.

She was speaking at a ceremony in Kumasi to induct members of the 16 District Anti-Illegal Mining Committees in the Ashanti Region. 

The composition and inauguration of the District Committees is the 2nd phase of the government’s crusade against galamsey and the resultant environmental destruction that is said to have cost Ghana about 23 thousand square kilometres or 10 per cent of the total land mass.

The Committees, which are at the behest of the Inter Ministerial Anti-Illegal Mining Committee, to tackle the problem right at the local level. 

The Local Government and Rural Development Minister wondered why national resources such as gold should be mined by expatriates. 

She questioned the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies for allowing billboards with Chinese inscriptions to be erected in their localities.

Hajia Alima Mahama mentioned for instance, the Tarkwa-Bogoso route as areas where billboards with incomprehensible inscriptions are very pronounced.

She described such facilities as illegal since the messages being communicated to members of the public cannot be understood. 

The Minister therefore directed the MMDCEs to, with immediate effect, pull down all such billboards since they have become nuisance.

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