The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, says banning small-scale mining, also known as galamsey, would do a lot more harm than good to the Ghanaian economy.
According to him, small-scale mining contributes up to 40% of Ghana’s total gold production and employs up to 1 million Ghanaians, alongside other benefits the sector offers, making it a key contributor to the country’s economic sector.
The Deputy Minister made this statement in an engagement with editors of the key media houses in Accra on Tuesday, 29th November, 2022 to among others sensitize them on the regularisation of the small-scale mining sector.
According to him, aside the multitude of benefits the sector offers to the economy, Ghana’s small-scale mining sector is widely considered as one of the best in Africa with an enviable regulatory structure.
According to Duker, this has led to many African countries actually coming here to learn from Ghana and apply the lessons to their own small-scale mining sectors.
“Zambia and Sundan have come to emulate from us and currently, the South African High Commissioner is at the Ministry with the same purpose, to understudy Ghana’s small-scale mining sector” he said.
Mr George Mireku Duker in an all-encompassing presentation touted the gamut of measures government has put in place to curb the illegal mining menace, which among other things include Operation Halt II, Community Mining Scheme (CMS), Training of River guards.
On the procurement of speed boats and training of river guards, Hon. Duker stressed that “we are not just doing a talk shop here, we are on the grounds and the whole mentality is to get our river bodies cleaned”
Duker said the government is aware of the enormity of the galamsey fight but are making all the necessary efforts to sanitise the sector and will welcome inputs and expert views from the media on how to effectively communicate the strides made by the government in this regard.
He used the opportunity to debunk all allegations levelled against him as being neck-deep in the galamsey menace stressing that: ”I have never been a miner and I will never be, I have only studied and have a good knowledge of the subject matter and that should be on record”
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com