Adhere to responsible mining principles - Lands Ministry

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) has advised stakeholders in the mining industry to abide by responsible mining principles.

“The recent incident at Appiatse is still fresh in our minds. And unfortunate though it was, it presents us with the opportunity to deepen our sense of responsibility across all levels of mining operations so that we do not get to erode the gains made,” Mr George Mireku Duker, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources said.

Addressing a biennial expanded Council meeting of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, in Kumasi, he said responsible mining principles presented some benefits, including reducing local conflicts.

Additionally, it prevents or at least minimises environmental impacts, facilitates access to financing because of lower perceived risk by financial markets and takes the right decisions.

The deputy minister said compliance with requirements was necessary as it helped operators in the mining industry to be accountable and liable to regulatory review.

The three-day programme is being held under the theme: “Deepening the Responsible Mining Agenda to Promote Socio-Economic Development in Ghana”.

It seeks to engage key stakeholders on matters of mutual interest to the mining industry such as licensing and permitting issues.

Other issues being discussed include the implementation of the Minerals and Mining Regulations with a particular focus on local content and local participation.

The meeting will also deal with mine operational audits, positioning Ghana as a hub for mine support service companies in West Africa, topical human resource issues and trends in the Ghanaian mining industry.

George Mireku Duker said despite its critical contribution to the Ghanaian economy, the mining industry was faced with many challenges, citing unacceptable mining practices, especially from the small-scale mining sector.

This, he said, had resulted in the near breakdown of the governance structure of the sub-sector, adding that the government was committed to ensuring that the right thing was done for the benefits to be shared equitably among stakeholders.

“And it is with this passion that since assumption of office the government has sought to re-engineer the governance framework of the mining sector through diverse interventions in an attempt to sanitize the small-scale mining sub-sector in particular,” the Deputy Minister stated.

Dr Eric Asubonteng, President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said the Chamber would continue to engage the government to find common grounds on issues of mutual concern.