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 was made by the Deputy Minister responsible for Mining, Hon. George Mireku Duker, MP, who warned the small-scale miners that their voices are important to help contextualize the illegal mining problem.
Addressing a gathering of small-scale miners at Prestea Huni Valley in the Western Region on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Hon. 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 the public support of the small-scale miners to help take charge of the conversation and situate it in the right context.
He explained that most people and organizations 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 nuance to the ongoing discourse.
Hon. Duker emphasized that government is not against small-scale mining but rather has a set of lofty and powerful policies that will help shape the sector for the better.
“Organized labor 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.
Hon. Duker noted that the sector provides direct and indirect employment to over 5 million Ghanaians and therefore the government is 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.
Hon. 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 sanitize the small-scale mining sector which includes the introduction of the Community Mining Scheme, decentralization 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 Occassion 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 emphasized that all small-scale miners should not be painted with the misdeeds of a small recalcitrant part. Indeed, no new laws were needed; rather, the government should ensure enforcement against the recalcitrants.
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.
