Government of Ghana has launched six community mining schemes in “galamsey” endemic areas of the country to address the issue of illegal mining.
The scheme is being rolled out in the Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions and it is expected to ensure people mine in a responsible manner.
The move is expected to create 10,300 direct jobs and 21,000 indirect jobs.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of mines, Honourable George Mireku Duker made the remarks yesterday at the regular Minister’s Press Briefing organised by the Ministry of Information in Accra.
According to him, Government is sanitizing the extractive industry with the introduction of the community mining scheme which will pave the way for the commencement of regulated, responsible, and sustainable community mining aimed at helping to get rid of illegal mining.
“We are creating community mining schemes to hold onto those who will be moved out of the illegal mining and to cushion them as well. So far, we have created these schemes in six mining areas of the Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions”, Hon. Duker remarked.
The schemes are intended to provide livelihoods for members in the mining communities, promote sustainable and responsible mining and therefore prevent illegal mining.
He explained that community mining has become the main pivot around which the nation seeks to organize responsible small-scale mining, hence the reason Government has developed a Small Scale and Community Mining operational manual to guide the operations of small-scale miners.
Establishment of Minerals Development Unit at ADB
Hon. Duker also disclosed that Government as part of efforts to continuously support relevant players within the mining sector and ensure that small scale miners have access to credit facilities for their operations has established a Minerals Development Unit at the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
This, he said will help tackle the issue of operational capital as the lack of credit facilities for small scale mining operators has been identified as one of the driving forces behind foreigners’ involvement in the small-scale mining space.
Source: MOI (PR Unit)
