Eastern Regional Minister holds stakeholder meeting with small scale miners

The Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Seth Kwame Acheampong, has held a stakeholder meeting with Small Scale mining companies in the Region.

The purpose of the meeting was to explain to them the government's position on mining, the activities of "Operation Halt" and the way forward.

In his introductory statement, Hon. Acheampong made it clear that government under the leadership of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was not against mining in the country but was emphatic that government was against illegal mining, mining that destroys the water bodies and forests reserve, mining that destroys the ecosystem and threatens the existence of human beings.

Hon. Acheampong, giving the history of mining in the country indicated that alluvial mining dates back to the pre-colonial era where simple tools were used to extract the gold without antagonising the water bodies and the forests reserve, adding that Ghana was then called Gold Coast because the colonial masters saw the mineral being extracted.

He, however, bemoaned the current methods of mining where river course were diverted, forests destroyed, wildlife endangered and the total ecosystem deteriorated leaving human beings at the mercy of harmful weather, describing it as unacceptable and a threat to life.

Explaining the activities of Operation Halt, Hon. Acheampong said government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources inaugurated the Operations Halt to bring sanity to the mining industry by enforcing the laws governing mining with the aim of protecting the ecosystem.

He added that government through these operations had recently stopped giving out forest application permits for exploration and prospecting to miners.

He however cautioned miners to desist from interfering with the activities of Operation Halt in order to avoid trouble. "Once you go against operation halt you go against the law, if you go against the law, you have gone against all of us as a country and the law will deal with you", he emphasized.

The Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Asene Manso Akroso, Hon. George Kwame Aboagye urged the miners to put the future of the country first ahead of any other consideration.

He also urged them to stop aiding foreign nationals who were perceived to be heavily involved in Galamsay adding that small scale mining under the laws of Ghana is reserved for Ghanaian citizens.

The President of Small Scale Mining Association in the Region, Mr. Mohammed Amao thanked the Regional Minister and the Minerals Commission for organising the stakeholders engagement to throw more light on government's position on mining.

He said the engagement has laid their fears and had given them hope that in the shortest time they would be allowed to do their work.

He assured that the association would support government to fish out unscrupulous miners whose activities has costed the entire mining industry.

Topics that were discussed during the open forum included the usage of Chanfan in our water bodies, Government directive on mining 100 meters away from water bodies, resourcing and strengthening state institutions such as minerals commission, EPA etc, issues on Alluvia mining and Government position, involvement of state officials in illegal mining etc.