President Nana Akufo-Addo has commissioned two Community Mining schemes in the Western Region.
They are the Akango/Duale Community Mining and Egila Gwira Community Mining.
The commissioning of the Community Mining Schemes is in fulfillment of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) manifesto promise.
Mr. Akufo-Addo who is on a tour of the Western and Central Regions, commissioned the Community Mining programmes on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at
Bamiankor within the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region.
He underscored his party’s commitment to sanitizing the mining sector and ensuring the provision of decent jobs.
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, in his remarks, stated, the Community Mining Scheme is an innovative policy initiated under the Nana Akufo-Addo Administration.
According to him, the Community Mining Scheme is aimed at providing members of mining communities the opportunity to engage in lawful and meaningful mining ventures and thereby provide sustainable livelihoods for the beneficiaries of the Scheme.
“As provided for within the legal framework of small-scale mining, the Scheme is reserved for only Ghanaians citizens,, but this time round, with an emphasis on members of the host mining Community,” he added.
He therefore urged all stakeholders including community members to make the Community Mining Scheme work effectively for the benefit of Ghana.
“Compliance with the good governance and rule of law framework put in place by Government is very important and, at all times, operations should only take place with the requisite licenses and permits from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals, Forestry and Water Commissions, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency,” he noted.
He warned that “the miners, especially, are advised to adhere to the rules and regulations as well as best practices. The adoption of the small scale miners code of practice is a must and miners who flout the rules would have their licenses revoked.”
He urged those engaging in community mining to put in place robust safety protocols at their respective areas of operation to prevent, not just health and safety hazards associated with mining but also Covid-19.
By Melvin Tarlue, Bamiankor