The site for the Community Mining Programme at Bawdie
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has explained that his decision to place a ban on small-scale mining activities is not to take the players out of business but rather to sanitize the system and make the sector better.
He said the strategy of the government is to ensure that small-scale mining is done in a responsible, environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner so that illegal mining, popularly called galamsey, would be a thing of the past.
The President said to deal with the galamsey menace, he inaugurated the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) to combat illegal small mining, protect the environment and ensure that mining in the country conforms to international standards, rules and regulations.
The IMCIM began registration for the Community Mining Programme and with the help of the Minerals Commission interested applicants followed the reservation of mining concessions.
At the official inauguration of the programme at Bawdie in the Western Region, the President said the initiative would enable residents in mining communities, whose livelihood are solely depended on mining, to work to make a living.
“The ban on small-scale mining was not against mining activities but rather it sought to ensure that mining was done within the expectations of the country’s environmental laws. However, some of the youth in the mining communities insulted me and even said they would not vote for the NPP in 2020,” he said.
“But I said I was prepared to put my presidency on the line in my quest to end the scourge of illegal mining to safeguard Ghana’s future,” he added.
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, who is the Chairman of the IMCIM, explained that most of the qualified applicants were trained in the Sustainable Mining Course at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa.
He said interested persons in mining communities were asked to register with their respective metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
He mentioned that the number of applicants determined the number of concessions allotted to the MMDAs for the Community Mining Programme.
Some of the small-scale miners in Bawdie told DAILY GUIDE that they had been allotted 73 pits, with each employing 50 persons.
They commended the government for lifting the ban on small-scale mining activities and for introducing community mining which they said would create thousands of jobs for the youth in the mining areas.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Bawdie
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