The Ministry of Information has debunked claims that the general ban on small scale and unregulated mining had been lifted.
Rather, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, clarified that there is an impending policy meant to safeguard the environment while supervised mining strategy is to be rolled out.
It has been21 months since the ban on ‘galamsey’ activities was effected to halt the destruction to Ghana’s water bodies as well as farms.
He said 3000miners had undergone training on responsible small scale mining while 1000 others are set to complete their training.
Mr. Nkrumah declared the Multi-sectoral Integrated Mining Project (MMIP), whose confines mining activities will commence from December 15, 2018 will see dredging, and land reclamation efforts, validated legal mining as well as reform in the mining regulatory regime.
The easing of the total ban on small-scale mining is thanks to the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining which developed the comprehensive policy framework to regularise small-scale mining across the country.
Names of the vetted artisanal miners will be published in the electronic and print media in addition to making it available on the notice boards of municipal and district assemblies.
The Minister explained that information on also be made
Per the policy, unregistered miners also called ‘galamsey’ miners will join community mining cooperatives and provided with concessions to work legitimately under the supervision of the district committees.
Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has welcomed the move saying it shall sanitise the mining sector. The move can appease the Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana also who were agitated about the prolonged ban threatening to disregard the ban directive and start mining.
By Michael Eli Dokosi
