Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh
Foreigners specifically Burkinabes and Ivoirens have been barred from participating in the Community Mining Scheme being introduced across the country.
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, served the warning to Ghanaian miners as he launched the Obuasi East Municipality’s Community Mining Scheme at Ayease on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.
According to the Minister, the small scale mining sector is not for foreigners.
He says the Community Mining Scheme is reserved for only Ghanaian citizens and with emphasis on host mining communities.
“Simply put, the scheme is of the people, by the people, for the people of the community,” according to the Minister.
He stated that the Scheme is an adaptation of small scale mining as provided for under (sections 81-99) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
“It is yet another innovative policy initiated under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration which is aimed at providing members of mining communities the opportunity to engage in lawful and meaningful mining ventures and ensure sustainable livelihoods for the beneficiaries of the Scheme,” he noted.
The Minister noted that the scheme has the capacity to create meaningful employment for residents in the rural and host communities across the mining areas.
He added that Government estimated that 16,000 jobs will be created by the Scheme “and its multiplier effect could be phenomenal. This aligns with Government’s agenda of job creation.”
He says the Scheme will stimulate wealth creation and improve the local economy through the value generated staying within local communities in Ghana and not leaving the shores of the country.
“The Scheme will create horizontal, vertical as well as other linkages with the other sectors of the economy,” he noted.
Measures
To ensure a successful implementation, the Minister noted that key strategies have been infused into the Community Mining Scheme.
Among the strategies, he said, were the formation of a Community Mining Oversight Committee, adoption of the Small-scale miners code of practice; and provision of support services to the community miners.
He assured that with the Scheme, galamsey will be a thing of the past.
Excavators
The Minister appealed to stakeholders in the mining sector at Obuasi to register all excavators to be used for mining activities in order to properly track them.
Revenue
The Minister said the small scale mining generates 36 percent of mining revenues and that with the introduction of the Community Mining Scheme, more revenues will come if they are able to do it.
He encouraged residents engaged in the Community Mining Scheme to reclaim lands they will use for mining.
He warned against mining in buffer zones
The buffer zones, he said, are closer to water bodies and so if they do not respect the directive not to mine in buffer zones, they will have their license revoked.
By Melvin Tarlue