Aisha Huang’s prosecution by the attorney general has my full support, says Akufo-Addo
To this end, President Akufo-Addo informed the Ghana Bar Association’s members that “the Attorney General has my entire support in his desire to prosecute Aisha Huang and her associates, who, it appears, insist on flouting our laws against galamsey and unlawful mining.”
The President continued, “I anticipate the courts to use the full force of the new modified Act 995, which has greatly raised the punishment for violations of the law if they are proven guilty.” Program for Alternative Livelihoods The government of President Akufo-Addo has occasionally stated that it is not opposed to small-scale mining.
At the October 2021 launch of the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme, a program intended to help ease the hardships of those affected by the Government’s efforts to sanitize the mining industry, he stated: “On the contrary, the Government is in full support of responsible small-scale mining activities, as they provide an avenue for Ghanaians to participate in the mining industry, and contribute substantially to our gold exports.”
According to data that is currently available, the small-scale mining sector accounts for about forty percent (40%) of our gold exports and is largely responsible for Ghana’s position as the continent’s top gold producer. Therefore, the President emphasized, “small-scale mining should be encouraged, and we will do everything required to promote it for our mutual benefit.”
But he added, “We cannot and will not allow mining activities to endanger the ecosystem that supports our lives as well as the lives and livelihoods of future generations. Despite the fact that we benefit from our natural resources, we have a fundamental obligation to protect the environment. Only responsibly can and must small-scale mining be carried out.
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has received the full support of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to bring charges against Aisha Huang, the well-known Chinese national accused of engaging in illegal mining, and other individuals discovered to be doing so in the nation.
Aisha was recently detained again in Ghana when it was claimed that she had fabricated some documents to enter the country following her previous expulsion.
On Monday, September 12, 2022, at the Ghana Bar Association’s 2022 Bar Conference, President Akufo-Addo observed that Ghana had seen the longest stretch of stability and economic growth in its 65-year history since the start of the 4th Republic, or around 29 years ago.
President: “We have observed steady growths in the size of the economy; rising levels of per capita real incomes; and methodical expansion of the private sector” during this time of the Fourth Republic. Additionally, he mentioned that during the Fourth Republic, “strong measures have been taken to try to protect our lands, water bodies, and the environment from the threat of environmental degradation and climate change; ensured that efforts to meet the most fundamental elements of social justice, i.e. education from kindergarten through secondary school, and accessible healthcare for all our citizens, are ongoing.”
Ellen Nimo
