Alternative Livelihood Key to Ending Poverty and Galamsey – George Opare Addo

“We must eradicate poverty from the areas we find ourselves and if we have been able to do that effectively, by giving them alternative livelihood we may bring an end to illegal mining."

Minister Designate for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, has suggested the need for an alternative livelihood scheme for people living in mining areas as a means to curb the menace that is galamsey.

Speaking to members of the appointment committee during his vetting on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the former District Chief Executive of Akuapem South advocated for alternative livelihood schemes and programs aimed at providing sustainable employment opportunities to help mitigate poverty.

“There is a Ghana we all want. I want a Ghana where illegal mining is not a part of but we do mining in a manner which is sustainable and won’t degrade the environment in any way. I believe that is also the vision of John Dramani Mahama” he said.


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He mentioned poverty as one of the key reasons for the increase in galamsey activities and subsequently suggested that a transition from illegal mining to sustainable economic activities would require better livelihood alternatives and more sustainable mining options.

“We must eradicate poverty from the areas we find ourselves and if we have been able to do that effectively, by giving them alternative livelihood we may bring an end to illegal mining. For young people who want to go into mining, we have to reset their minds. There is an old way that they have done things and they must re-engage them to change them from the old way they have done things”, he stated.

The Minister Designate also proposed a partnership with the Lands Ministry to find sustainable ways of mining.

“We are going to work together with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to look at sustainable ways of mining. I have maintained that wherever there is gold and there is poverty, people will find a way of getting under the ground to find the gold”, he added.


Alternative Livelihood Scheme Under Nana Addo

In October 2021, the erstwhile Nana Bawumia government established the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme for illegal miners (NAELP) under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. The programme aimed to respond to the upsurge of displaced illegal miners and victims as a result of the government’s efforts to sanitise the mining sector.

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