We’ll Build Responsible Small-Scale Mining Sector – Minister
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, says his outfit will not relent in its efforts to build a responsible and sustainable small-scale mining industry in the country.
He said Government was committed to fighting illegal mining and therefore his ministry will continue to implement the relevant policies to come to grips with the situation.
The minister said this Tuesday, 28th June 2022, when he presented licences to 95 small-scale miners belonging to the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM).
Earlier this month, the minister hinted that a number of small-scale mining applications were being vetted, adding licences would be issued to deserving persons once the process was complete.
At a short ceremony to present the licences to the leadership of GNASSM, Mr. Jinapor said the successful applications have gone through peer review by the small-scale miners themselves, in addition to the vetting by the Minerals Commission and the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker.
He said inasmuch as Government is not against small-scale mining, its policy aimed to ensure that small-scale licences were not granted haphazardly or recklessly, but only to people who were committed to responsible and environmentally-sound mining practices.
“We will not spare anyone caught, and we will continue to demobilise and decommission equipment found on illegal mining sites,” the minister emphasised.
On collaboration with the GNASSM, Mr. Jinapor said the ministry cherished the collaboration between the association and the ministry, and called on the leadership to assist the ministry to create a viable and responsible small-scale mining industry that contributed meaningfully to national development.
On their part, the leadership of the GNASSM thanked the minister for engaging them in the process of issuing the licences.
General Secretary of the association, Godwin Armah, said members of the association were worried about the delay in the granting of the licences but appreciated the rigorous processes that the applications had to go through.
He called on all those whose licences have been issued to operate within the confines of the law and the protocols established by the Minerals Commission.