Galamsey: Banning small-scale mining not the solution - PRO

The Director of Communications, Association of Small Scale Miners, Abdul Razak Alhassan, has stated that banning small-scale mining by the government as suggested by some stakeholders is not the answer to galamsey.

He recalled that in 2017, when all mining activities were banned for two years, in 2018, the country produced over 40 per cent gold, questioning how and who produced that amount of gold.

The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has called on the government to ban small-scale mining with immediate effect after observing the devastation caused to water bodies and forests by illegal miners.

The Council said some companies hide behind legal licenses to wreak havoc on the environment, hence the call for an immediate ban to streamline activities in the mining sector.

But the small-scale miners believe the proposition will be a lazy man’s approach to dealing with the challenge.

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Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Abdul Razak Alhassan also challenged the government to investigate who produced the gold in 2018 when mining was banned for two years.

He was of the belief that if small-scale mining is banned, people will definitely go behind the government to do illegal mining.

Abdul Razak Alhassan observed that some big men, some of whom have power in the country, were behind illegal mining activities and were sponsoring them with their money.

He stated that the government should not focus on the operators who are mostly on the field in its efforts to curb galamsey, but rather on the big men who sponsor galamsey.

“We cannot combat illegal mining because a large number of people have entered it, and the majority of them do not use the proper methods; some use power, and others use their money to sponsor it,” he said.

He went on, “I disagree with the term “illegal miners” for those who are on the field in muddy clothes. Those who have power and use it to influence others, those who sit somewhere and sponsor people to go and mine and bring money to them, are the ones who must be held accountable.”

Meanwhile, he said the government should engage the industry players to talk about possible means to completely curb the galamsey menace.

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