According to George Mireku Duker, Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister in charge of mines, the current harsh law enforcement on illegal small-scale gold mining alone cannot win the fight against environmental devastation, so the Ministry is intensifying nationwide mining community sensitization on responsible mining.
George Mireku Duker, speaking to Citi News at one of such sensitizations attended by small-scale gold miners, chiefs, and relevant stakeholders in Bepoh, Prestea-Huni-Valley Municipality, Western Region, said responsible community mining is the new tool to complement law enforcement in the fight against galamsey.
“If you understand mining and the kind of contribution small-scale gold mining makes to GDP, you will understand what we want to regularize, and you can’t do that with those harsh regularization models.” “You have to combine all of the models, including educating them on the importance of regulation,” he said.
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He also provided evidence of the importance of the small-scale gold mining sector to the Ghanaian economy to justify the Ministry’s newly adopted model of community sensitization on responsible mining.
“Small-scale mining directly employs not less than one million Ghanaians, while large-scale concessionaires employ 30,000 Ghanaians, and the indirect impact of this one million Ghanaian employment from small-scale gold mining is approximately 5 million.” So, we’re talking about a large number of Ghanaians who benefit directly or indirectly from small-scale mining ventures. What we mean is that we are not opposed to it, but we do want it to be done responsibly. So, instead of destroying the river bodies, get your concession properly and the government will regularize it for you, provide you with mining equipment, and ensure that the teaming youth have something to do,” he added.
George Mireku Duker stated that the government cannot simply send the one million Ghanaians employed in the small-scale mining sector home to suffer as a result of the implications, nor will it condone their destruction of the country’s heritage, including the environment, thus the need for nationwide education for them to understand the need to collaborate with government to eradicate this galamsey canker.
Following the sensitization on responsible mining in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality, the Deputy Lands Minister will meet with small-scale mining stakeholders in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality for the same purpose.
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