Victor A. Buxton
According to him, the small scale mining sector holds a major place in Ghana’s development if properly harnessed.
“Artisanal miners are not enemies of the state. If properly trained and supported, they can be allies in our development,” the President said.
“Working together with the small-scale mining sector, we will reclaim our forest reserves and restore the purity of our water bodies.”
To achieve this, President Mahama said there would be a major shift in the permitting regime to ensure accountability.
“We will track excavators to know whether they are being used for illegal mining. Ghana currently has more excavators than the rest of Africa. The new permitting regime will not allow you to import any excavator unless you have a valid permit to do so,” Mahama stated.
Government, he said, was collaborating with small-scale miners to support land reclamation efforts as it gravitates towards a more environmentally-friendly mining sector.
Noting that the effects of illegal mining were consequences of poor governance and enforcement, the President said mining firms would be mandated to reclaim mined out lands in the new licensing regime soon to be rolled out.
With more than a million people engaged in the mining sector in the country, President Mahama said government was not against mining but same must be done sustainably to not only give people a livelihood but contribute to the development of the country.
“We’ll soon codify our thoughts concerning increased Ghanaian participation using vehicles like our stock exchange, and other instruments to increase participation of the Ghanaian private sector in our natural resource exploitation,” he said adding that investors were also welcome to venture into the sector.
On his part, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, observed that political miscalculations and corruption were major factors hampering the fight against illegal mining.
He warned that if urgent steps were not taken to nip the menace in the bud, the country’s water sources and forests stand threatened.
“The pollution of our water bodies, the destruction of our forests and the degradation of our virgin lands cannot be allowed to continue unchecked.
“We have the opportunity to calmly dissect the policy options and tools available to deal with the problem,” he stated.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, in a status report said government was adopting a five pillar approach including reforming the licensing regime, law enforcement, and creation of alternative jobs amongst others in the fight against the menace.
He said 44 of 288 forest reserves, translating into 7,500 football fields have completely been destroyed by illegal mining activities.
