[ 2017-04-04 ]

Ghana's President Akufo-Addo, and Ivory Coast's President, Alassane Ouattara

Ivory Coast mad at Ghana over galamsey
Activities of small-scale illegal miners
(galamseyers) in Ghana is destroying water sources
in neighbouring Ivory Coast, Ghana’s Minister of
Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation,
Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has said.

The heart surgeon made the revelation on Tuesday,
4 April when he launched a media coalition against
the galamsey menace in Accra.

“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 organise a press conference. I met the
Minister of 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 said.

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

Source - classfmonline.com

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