Government of Ghana through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining has unveiled new policy to regularise the operations of the mining sector and subsequently lifted the 22 months ban on small-scale mining.
According to the Chairman of the Committee, Professor Frimpong Boateng, the ban is lifted for only those miners whose documents complied with the regularised and reformed framework through a vetting committee.
At the launch of the new policy on mining, Professor Boateng sternly warned that the lifting of the ban does not mean that galamseyers [illegal miners] are back to business to continue their illegal activities to destroy farm lands and water bodies.
“...the lifting of the ban does not mean that the ban on galamsey has been lifted and that they can go back to work; galamsey is still illegal. Lifting of the ban does not mean that foreign miners who are hiding in Ghana or who escaped to neighbouring countries can come and continue their illegal activities”, he warned.
“Lifting of the ban does not mean security operations to enforce compliance with mining regulations and approved practices will be discontinued. Lifting of the ban does not mean that there will be no monitoring”, he stressed.
He further explained that the lifting of the ban means only the vetted and approved miners are back to business after they have successfully gone through training; thus, the vetted miners per the lifting of the ban are to go by the new regulations regarding mining.
“The meaning of the lifting ban is that it will allow mining companies with valid company registration certificate, valid permits and licenses from the regulatory authorities [Minerals Commission, EPA, Water Resources Commission, Tax Identification Numbers, Companies who have had their mining equipments licensed and electronically tagged by DVLA and whose concessions have been vetted and given QR Code to go back to work”, he explained.
Professor Frimpong Boateng emphasised that “mining equipments especially excavators and bulldozers that have not been licensed by DVLA, tagged with electronic devices will not be permitted for small-scale mining purposes. All mining companies are expected to have at least one person trained in subsidiary mining in Tarkwa”.
He added that galamsey is now a thing of the past as all galamseyers were grouped to form community miners and duly trained to operate as legal miners after receiving their concessions to mine in approved areas under the supervision of the district sub-committee.
“So-called galamseyers have been trained and organised into community mining groups...Miners who out of ignorance might have done the wrong thing have been given the opportunity to receive proper training at University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Sustainable Framework and Operations”, he revealed.
He again said that individuals who wanted to stop mining altogether were afforded training in alternative livelihood fields; thus, there has been adequate education of miners, chiefs, and religious leaders, opinion leaders and the general population.
He therefore concluded that the list of complaint miners will be published in the electronic and print media on Monday 17th December 2018 as well as on public notice boards to announce those who qualify to continue with the mining activities.
To the successful launch of the new policy on mining indicates the political will of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sanitize, regularize and reform the small-scale mining sector
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining embarked on a program to systematically reform the sector and at the same time preserve the integrity of the environment.
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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WHAT OUR PRESIDENT HAVE DONE IS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. LET US SANITIZE OUR WATER BODIES AND GUIDE AGAINST ANY UNSCRUPULOUS PERSON WHO WANTS TO DEGRADE OUR FOREST AND WATER BODIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND REPORT THEM APPROPRIATELY.
.. THAT stupidesttttt AND CRIMINAL CHINESE LADY CALLED AYISHA IS STILL illegally LOOTINGGG OUR MINERAL RESOURCES.... Discriminatory implementation of GALAMSEY fight. VICTIMS have sworn to uproot NPP government in 2020......... Victims of the banking sector crises and their dependants are desperately campaigning for the return of JDM and his NDC in 2020....... Victims of the seven collapsed banks victims and their dependants are desperately campaigning for the return of JDM and his NDC in 2020 paaaaaa..... Victims of GNBANK GOLDCOAST SECURITIES CUSTOMERS combined are 1.2 MILLION and 800 thousand respectively and are suffering from npp government BOGUS VINDICTIVE POLICIES that are COLLAPSING LOCAL BANKS in GHANA DELIBERATELY in ORDER for DATA BANK to flourish and monopolize the banking sector..... Npp you'll regret 2020 paaaaaa...... NPP your arrogance and HYPOCRISY is evident for all to see.... Everybody is praying fervently for the return of JDM and his NDC in 2020 paaaaaa...... After shielding DEFAULTERS OF THE SEVEN COLLAPSED BANKS AND RATHER implementing BOGUS LAWS TO COLLAPSE LOCAL BANKS IN GHANA DELIBERATELY IN ORDER FOR DATA BANK TO FLOURISH AND MONOPOLIZE THE BANKING SECTOR, U will SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU IN 2020 PAAAAAA...... NPP HAS lied AND EXAGGERATED ALLEGATIONS AGAINST LOCAL BANKS IN GHANA.... NPP HAS DELIBERATELY RAISED BASIC REQUIREMENT OF THE BANKS FROM 120 MILLION GHC to 400 MILLION GHC.... deliberately issuing panicking statements daily by the npp government and BOG and SEC and OFORI ATTA deliberately issued inflammatory statements designed to cause PANIC WITHDRAWALS in LOCAL BANKS in GHANA to destroy local banks..... Pay contractors their MONIES and see if the contractors won't pay the SEVEN collapsed for them to BOUNCE back.... 2020 YAAMUTU NPP government