The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has started engaging the public in the fight against illegal mining.
The Ministry sees the public as having a critical role in this fight and has, therefore, launched a campaign to educate communities where illegal mining is taking place on the dangers it has on their immediate environment and the country at large.
The first of these community engagements took place on Monday at Hemang in the Fanteakwa South District where the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mining, Mr George Mireku Duker, held a meeting with chiefs, opinion leaders and small-scale miners on how they can collaborate with the government to eradicate illegal mining.
He urged the stakeholders to examine the catastrophic consequences of illegal mining on the country’s waterbodies before offering tacit or explicit support for any sort of illegal mining.
According to him, the government’s determination to combat illegal mining was to protect the interests of current and future generations.
Mr Mireku Duker said the government had rolled out several alternative livelihood programmes to address unemployment, which is the driving force of illegal mining.
He mentioned the Community Mining Scheme, Reclamation and Afforestation modules as some of the government interventions to ensure that people who stop illegal mining operations have something to do.
“It’s a shame that we’ve allowed our lands to be destroyed to this point. Long-term enjoyment is better than short term so we must all think about that. People give out their cocoa lands for galamsey money. You’ll get the money but for how long.
“If we all decide to mine responsibly, we’ll enjoy for the long-term and also save our lands and rivers. The government is ensuring that the licensing regime is rigid and well-followed. We need to report all persons engaged in illegal mining.
“Protect our lands for future generations. We all must embrace the right form of mining. We’ll continue to sensitize and educate the public on the need to protect our resources. All Ghanaians must know that mining can be beneficial to us but must be done the right way. The sensitization is key to solving the menace,” he stated.
On his part, the Chief Inspector of Mines at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Kofi Adjei urged the public, particularly cocoa producers, not to sell their lands to illegal miners. He asserted that illegal mining was risky and resulted in the deaths of many innocent people.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
