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Neigbouring Ivory Coast is unhappy with Ghana following activities of illegal miners in Ghana, which they claim is affecting water bodies in that country.

The Minister of Environment, Science and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng made the revelation on Tuesday during the launch of a media coalition against the galamsey menace in the country. According to the Minister, he was confronted with the situation when he went to the country for a conference.

“I was in Abidjan from Wednesday to Saturday for a conference and I was confronted with galamsey almost immediately on the effects that the galamsey in Ghana is having on Ivory Coast because River Bia enters Ivory Coast almost at the lower thirds. And Tano enters the Lagoon and it is polluting the Bia lagoon so they cannot even treat water in some of their treatment plants.”

“So they [Ivorians] took advantage of my presence to organize a press conference. I met the Minister for Environment and the Mining Minister and they asked me to speak to their people. I made it clear to them that we are very serious to stop galamsey and I was able to convince them that indeed we are serious. The good thing is that, they always made reference to the good relationship between Ghana and Ivory Coast and especially between Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the President of Ivory Coast,” Prof. Boateng added.

The Bia River serves as a vital source of water for the residents of Bianouan in eastern Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast’s semi-public water distribution company, SODECI, recently shut down its water treatment plant in the area because of the level of pollution in the Bia River. Galamsey menace in Ghana There has been intense pressure on government to end the illegal practice, and save water bodies and the environment from further destruction.

Currently, some water treatment plants in Ghana have been shut down due to the activities of illegal miners, which have rendered water bodies from which the plants harvest water for processing useless.

Ghana to import water soon Watchers of the sector have further lamented that, if such activities are not stopped, Ghana may soon be importing water from neighboring countries. The galamsey menace has also led to the destruction of many farmlands, which serve as livelihood for a number of families.

Ghanaians join Citi FM’s #StopGalamseyNow campaign It is on the back of this that Citi FM has launched it #StopGalamseyNow campaign to put pressure on government to put a stop to the menace. When the campaign was launched on Monday, various groups and individuals joined in raising awareness on the menace. Organisations such as the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), CDD, and some other Ghanaians took to Twitter to express their concerns about the menace, which is destroying various water bodies and the environment in general.