Small-scale Miners Association in the Amansie West district of Ashanti region has launched a fight against illegal mining on water bodies and forest reserves.
Mr Joseph Mensah, the Zonal Chairman of Small Scale Miners Association in the Amansie West district said the Association indicated that illegal mining activities have had a negative toll on their businesses because small-scale mining which is backed by law is not recognised.
The Zonal chairman, on behalf of the members, appealed to the government to continue to repose confidence in them, towards the fight against illegal activities.
He disclosed that a Taskforce has been formed to flush out those illegal miners and that the Association is not leaving any stone unturned since galamsey activities have a negative impact on them.
Mr Mensah made these disclosures when a team, called Advocacy for Sustainable Mining, currently on a mission to implore miners to do responsible mining as mandated and also help eradicate all sorts of illegalities in their activities met with Zonal members to remind them of their core mandate as responsible miners.
Anthony Amankwa, a member of the association, suggested that illegal miners must be relentlessly dealt with because they are making small–scale mining unpopular.He disagreed with a section of Ghanaians calling for total ban on their activities, since it will not help salvage the situation.
