Spare parts dealers at Suame Magazine in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi are pleading with the government to lift the ban on small-scale mining and legalise galamsey as the ban is grossly affecting their business.
According to the dealers, galamsey operators used to be part of their main patrons and used to frequent their shops to get spare parts for their heavy equipment but since their operations were halted over 6-months ago business has been going down for them.
When GhanaWeb visited the Suame New Road on a Saturday afternoon, most shops which the dealers say are usually opened even on Saturday’s were closed.
Those who were opened told the news team they often closed their shops on weekends because business was not as brisk as it used to before the ban on small-scale mining.
The spare parts dealers are therefore appealing to government to quickly regularise the operations of illegal miners and end the ban on small-scale mining.
The government earlier in 2017 imposed a six-month ban on small-scale mining as part of efforts to end illegal mining and its related activities, which adversely affected the environment, particularly water bodies and forest reserves.
In November, the Lands and Natural Resouce Minister, Peter Amewu announced a 3-month extension of the ban noting that it is expected to be lifted by January 2018
