2024 Election: I’ll use AI to fight galamsey if I win the 2024 elections – Mahama

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to combat illegal mining should he be elected in the 2024 general elections.

To combat the canker, often referred to as galamsey, he declared he would employ artificial intelligence, a sort of contemporary technology.

The former president announced that his government will use artificial intelligence (AI) to “locate all small-scale mining and galamsey operations, track excavators, and geofence all concessions” in order to help coordinate and monitor activities within the small-scale mines sector in order to reduce environmental destruction. The former president was the guest of honor at the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani.

In order to help offer a pool of mining equipment for sustainable exploitations in communities, he continued, a specific fund would also be established.

“A special revolving fund will be established with the private sector to provide capital and equipment pool in each district where gold mining is prevalent. This will facilitate easy and affordable access to relevant mining equipment.”

The former president clarified that the Ghana Mining Excellence Centre (GMEC), to be run by UENR and UMaT [University of Mines and Technology], is how his government intends to fulfill its commitment.

“To support all these brilliant initiatives and ensure that we are implementing them as best as possible, I have announced the launch of a Ghana Mining Excellence Centre (GMEC), to be run initially for five years and which will be coordinated by UENR and UMaT.

“As I have envisioned it, the Centre will collaborate with scientists from other universities worldwide to implement joint research and innovation projects that will simulate green growth within the Ghanaian mining and minerals industry.”

John Mahama will contest as flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress for the third time in the 2024 general elections.