The Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin project is taking measures to form a task force named the Asanteman Task Force against Illegal Mining.
The task force will engage in intelligence activities to combat illegal gold mining (popularly known in our local parlance as galamsey) in the Ashanti Region, supporting the efforts of the Asantehene to restore sanity to the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector. This initiative is part of the project’s corporate social responsibility to pursue responsible gold mining in the region.
The E ON 3 Group, which received authorization from the Bank of Ghana to mint the commemorative gold coin, stated that the task force’s coming is a testament to the efforts of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to root out illegal gold mining from his mineral-rich Kingdom.
Per our findings, the Asantehene has declared 2023 as an action year as he moves to protect lands and water bodies from illegal miners. The task force set up will investigate galamsey activities and submit a report to the Asantehene, covering even chiefs suspected of engaging in illegal activities. The Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin project will also organize education programs for chiefs on how to fight illegal gold mining in their communities.
Furthermore, a legal team will be formed to help prosecute persons caught in illegal gold mining and perform other legal issues relating to combating galamsey in the Ashanti Region. The project also appealed to His Majesty to blacklist financiers of illegal gold mining in his Kingdom and to talk to the international community to deny them visas.
Finally, the Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin project will reclaim mined-out lands in the Ashanti Region to restore the devastated lands to their previous natural states while minimizing environmental impacts.
