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To guard against invasion by unlicensed miners, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has sent a special task team of police officers.
The ministry has also gotten in touch with the National Security and Defense Ministries to arrange for military deployment “on special occasions” to deal with illegal mining activities at legitimate mining concessions if needed.
To stop illicit miners from trespassing, the special task force will patrol large-scale mining concessions.
Additionally, it will take harsh action against those who are presently endangering the operations of big businesses.
This information was provided to the Daily Graphic in a conversation with Samuel A. Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, last Wednesday.
“I have constituted a committee chaired by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker, to lead the process of protecting the legal mining concessions,” he added.
At the end of 2022, the mining sector was the nation’s second-largest economic sector after retail trade, according to data issued by the Ghana Statistical Service this year.
The sector’s contribution to the GDP increased from 4.5 to 7.6 percent between 2021 and 2022.
Additionally, in 2022, the producing mines paid out $2.73 billion to commercial banks and $1.41 billion to the central bank.
The total gross mineral revenue that was returned was $4.14 billion.
However, the country’s mining businesses have long complained of armed thugs who they assume to be illegal miners invading their concessions.
A number of companies, including AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi, Newmont Ghana, Golden Star Wassa, Perseus Mining, and Gold Fields Ghana, have voiced concerns about the growing incursion of unlicensed miners on their concessions.
Similar issues have been brought up by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, whose CEO, Dr. Sulemanu Koney, has urged the government to take action.
Last Tuesday, Mr. Jinapor told the audience during his keynote speech at the Mining for Development Forum in Accra that the government will make every effort to maintain their concessions.
“Ensuring the security of operations in Ghana — the role of stakeholders,” was the theme of his speech.
The minister emphasized that although using force to expel stubborn illegal miners was not negotiable, big mining firms needed to cooperate with the government “to carry the mining communities along”.
He continued by saying that in order to diminish the prevalence of illegal mining, the chamber needed to collaborate with the government to create sustainable interventions in mining areas.
For instance, he cited the government’s existing Community Mining Scheme as an effective way to combat illegal mining, which the chamber must support for it to be put into action.
In order to serve the community, Mr. Jinapor emphasized that significant mining corporations must prioritize keeping the mining value chain there.
Additionally, he exhorted mining businesses to focus their corporate social responsibility initiatives in mining communities.
The minister gave the house his word that the government would make every effort to remove obstacles to large-scale mining operations considering the critical role that sector played in economic growth and overall national development.
According to Mr. Jinapor, the government would deploy both the enforcement and sustainable livelihood techniques to address the illegalities in the authorized mining concessions.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
