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The Board Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Professor Douglas Boateng, has stated that blame game and accusation of the government will not address the galamsey menace bedevilling the country.
He, has therefore, called for collaboration of all stakeholders in the country to help tackle and end galamsey in the country.
Speaking at the Boardroom Governance Summit (BGS) in Accra yesterday, Prof. Boateng said government alone could not be blamed for the galamsey menace.
He expressed concern about the continuous destruction of the country’s rivers, forests and farmlands through the activities of illegal miners, saying soon there would be no farmlands for farming and potable water for drinking as a result of the pollution of the country’s land and water bodies.
“We cannot either eat gold or chew gold. We can’t drink gold, but need food and water to survive,” he stated, and urged for a concerted effort to deal with the menace.
Dubbed “Shaping accountability in the boardrooms”, the programme was organised by Professor Douglas Boateng in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the State Interest and Governance Authority, the Institute of Directors – Ghana (IoD-Ghana), and PanAvest International & Partners.
Under the theme “Director accountability, governance and long term sustainable development – The inextricable link,” the event brought together distinguished leaders, board members, and governance experts from various sectors to explore critical issues at the intersection of boardroom governance and sustainable development.
Prof. Boateng, the Convenor of the BSG, said the country as a whole had failed in dealing with galamsey and would require collective effort to deal with the menace.
“There are 32 million people in Ghana. What are we doing? We all drive past Konongo as leaders in our 4X4 vehicles. And we see what is happening when we are approaching Konongo. What did we do? We are all responsible. And it’s about time we take responsibility,” he stressed.
Prof. Boateng said the government had to be ruthless in dealing with illegal mining because the menace did not affect the communities in which illegal mining was done alone but the country as a whole.
“Galamsey threatens all of us. We have to be ruthless and that means we have to defend Ghana by any means possible. Because these criminals think they can get away with it that is why they become so relaxed. When we even approach them, they talk about the fact that yes, these are right because we don’t have any jobs,” he stressed.
Prof. Boateng stressed the need for effective boardroom governance to ensure the success of organisations.
He said the era where there was focus on profit to the neglect of good corporate governance was gone.
The Finance Minister, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, who delivered the keynote address lauded Prof. Boateng for conceiving and convening the BSG.
He said effective boardroom governance particularly for the State-owned Enterprises was crucial for the development of the country, since boards took decisions which had financial implications on the country.
The Acting Director-General of SIGA, John Boadu, emphasised the need for strong and effective boards for both SOEs and private sector organisations, since board of directors occupy important space in the governance architecture.
He said SIGA was proud to be associated with the maiden BSG.
The Minister for Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, for his part urged board of directors to be compliant with the company law and take decisions to promote the growth of the organisations they served.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
