A call to duty has been placed on all licensed small-scale miners across the country to rise up and participate in national conversations about the illegal mining menace.
The call, which was made by the Deputy Minister responsible for Mining, Mr George Mireku Duker, also warned the small-scale miners that their voices are important to help contextualise the illegal mining problem.
Addressing a gathering of small-scale miners at Prestea Huni Valley in the Western Region on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Mr Duker noted that the miners have maintained a deafening silence on the raging matter of galamsey and that, owing to their silence the discourse is being swayed in a direction that could potentially deprive them of their livelihoods.
The Deputy Minister, who has been a strong advocate for responsible small-scale mining, stated that he and the government need public support from the small-scale miners to help take charge of the conversation and situate it in the right context.
He explained that most people and organisations calling for a total ban on all forms of small-scale mining do not fully appreciate the peculiarities of the trade and that a public show of support to the government and education on how responsible small-scale mining differs from illegal mining will introduce some nuances to the ongoing discourse.
Mr Duker emphasised that government was not against small-scale mining, but rather had a set of lofty and powerful policies that would help shape the sector for the better.
“Organised labour is against you. I have been defending you everywhere, but I can’t do it alone. You also need to rise and support me. You need to help educate Ghanaians on the intricacies of mining so that they don’t confuse your trade for illegal mining.
“We need to let people understand that mining isn’t bad. We all know mining in water bodies is not good, but some people are doing it and they think it is you. If you want to protect your jobs, then you need to help the government get rid of those mining in water bodies,” he said.
The Deputy Minister responsible for Mining noted that the sector provides direct and indirect employment to over 5 million Ghanaians and, therefore, the government was opposed to placing a total ban on the sector.
He urged the small-scale miners to fight against the menace by supporting interventions by the government and reporting galamsey operators to the police.
He believes that the ideal approach to tackling the menace of galamsey is the involvement of communities in mining areas.
Barbara Oteng, the Board Chairman of the Minerals Commission and NPP Parliamentary candidate for Prestea Huni Valley reiterated the commitment of the government to the small-scale mining sector.
She outlined some of the innovations introduced by the government to sanitise the small-scale mining sector, which include the introduction of the Community Mining Scheme, decentralisation of the commission’s services to miners through opening more local offices and facilitating licensing through the introduction of an expedited online regime among others.
The Chairman for the Occasion, who also doubles as the Divisional Chief of Prestea-Himan, supported the minister’s message and added that local communities should benefit from their natural resources. He also emphasised that all small-scale miners should not be painted with the misdeeds of a small recalcitrant part.
The leadership of the Small Scale Miners’ Association also supported the minister’s message and added that they are presently undertaking a vigorous registration of their members and instituting a self-regulating framework like GPRTU. They entreated the support of all miners.
