Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah
About 962 small-scale mining licences are likely to be revoked as part of efforts by the government to combat illegal mining, popularly called ‘galamsey’.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, said this when the committee established to review existing mining licences presented its report to the office of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources yesterday in Accra.
According to the report, a total of 1,278 licences were reviewed, out of which 316 were cleared of any irregularities, while the remaining 962 have challenges with multiple irregularities ranging from documentation gaps, process anomalies, and data quality.
The minister, in response, warned that all 962 defective licences will be permanently revoked in two weeks if they fail to rectify those anomalies.
He also disclosed that his outfit is determined to preserve the environment and will take all necessary steps against people who flout mining regulations, adding that stringent measures are being put in place to reform the whole licensing regime as part of efforts to sanitise mining operations across the country.
The minister is expected to offer more information on the issue during his turn at the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House, as well as review some licences in the large scale mining sector.
The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) are yet to respond to this declaration by the sector minister. However, they recently expressed gross concern over the illegal seizure of their excavators across the country, and consequently urged the government to ensure their release to the rightful owners without delay.
National Communications Director of GNASSM, Abdul Razak Alhassan, lamented that some faceless politicians have been instigating the security agencies, notably the police, to illegally seize their excavators without justification.
According to him, the legal activities of the members of the GNASSM have been adversely affected ever since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration assumed the mantle of leadership, following the harassment they have been subjected to by the police.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah