Gov’t to begin vetting of small-scale miners in September

• Posted on August 20, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

The government of Ghana will from September 2018 vet all forms of small-scale mining.

The move forms part of government’s strategy to ensure that small-scale mining is done in a responsible, environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner.

In December 2017, President Akufo-Addo announced the vetting in a bid to eliminate illegal small-scale mining in the country.

Subsequently, an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) was inaugurated to achieve the long-term objectives of combating illegal small-scale mining, protecting the environment, and ensuring that mining in the country conforms to international standards, rules and regulations.

But, speaking at the Meet the Press series in Accra on Thursday, August 16, 2018, Prof. Frimpong Boateng Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce against illegal mining, said the vetting would begin across the country from September 3.

“There will be an announcement that will direct the small-scale miners when they are to present their documents. The vetting itself will start on 3rd of September.”

He said the finalization of the vetting process would inform the government’s timeline of lifting the ban on small-scale mining.

“If the vetting goes on well then we will know when exactly the ban will be lifted.”

Gov’t to lift the ban on small-scale mining by December

Government has given the assurance that it may lift the ban on all forms of small-scale mining by the end of 2018.

The government was compelled to issue the ban in 2017, at the time illegal mining was destroying the county’s land and water resources.

Analysts warned that Ghana might resort to the importation of clean water in the next two decades if the threat was not eradicated.

Professor Frimpong Boateng, Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Task-force Against Illegal Mining, was optimistic that small-scale miners would be able to return to work by December.

“We need to go through the process; then maybe after three weeks or a month, we will be able to know the exact date because we were supposed to have started on the 8th of August… and we have lost eight days.”

“So that is why if we had given a date last week, it would have been wrong, so we want to be very careful not to disappoint them, but definitely they will be able to go to work before Christmas,” he stated.

Gov’t launches new software to fight galamsey

The inter-ministerial task-force on Galamsey has adopted what it calls technology-driven strategies to combat illegal mining.

Key among the technologies is a software called Galamstop, which will monitor the activities of illegal miners.

Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng said the team hopes the innovations will culminate in the eventual lifting of the ban

“These are things that have been pledged at this conference in the fight against illegal mining. The integration of activities of these regulatory agencies through a computer application we call Galamstop. The Minerals Commission, EPA, Water Resources Commission, Forestry Commission, our current DCEs will be integrated through this software application.”