GH¢5 Will Be Enough To Fight Galamsey - GNASSM Tells Government

The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners says Gh¢5 will be enough to fight illegal mining (Galamsey) if the government partner with them.

Addressing the press organized by the Dunkwa District of the Association, Vice Chairman, Benjamin Annan said the country is throwing away money every day by doing the wrong thing.

"President Akufo Addo's government has spent 20 million dollars which is equivalent to 1.3 trillion old cedis in fighting galamsey but we're still unsuccessful just because we keep on doing the same thing and expect different results," he said.

He also apologized to Ghanaians on behalf of the association for being a major contributor to the menace.

Mr Annan further detailed the measures proposed to the government by the association which they believe will help eradicate Galamsey and they are as follows;

1) Stamping out political infiltration to enhance proper regulation of the sector per the laws governing small scale mining in Ghana.

2) Adopt and implement Otumfour Osei Tutu II’s recommendation towards the fight against illegal mining during the Ashanti Regional consultative dialogue on small scale mining.

3) Publishing the list of licensed small scale mining companies in each mining district of Ghana so that member companies of the Ghana Association of Small Scale Miners will know the various companies within their areas of operation to enhance self-policing to weed out illegal mining from the country.

4) Adopt the self-regulation and policing within the mining districts by the licensed small scale mining companies in collaboration with the district branches of the Ghana National Association of Small scale miners.

But to the association, the third and fourth measures will be the last straw that will break the camel's back on galamsey. Mr Annan said, through the self-policing initiative, the association will monitor activities of all licensed miners in their jurisdiction to make sure they're doing the right thing, and if a miner is doing something untoward, the association will report to the respective Assembly head who will in turn report to the sector minister and the sector minister will only need a writing pen which costs GH¢5 to revoke the license of such a miner.

Read their statement below;

PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY THE GHANA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SMALL SCALE MINERS, DUNKWA

DISTRICT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA.
DATE: WEDNESDAY 7TH JULY 2021
VENUE: ROYAL AMONU HOTEL, DUNKWA.

Good morning distinguished invited guests, Nananom present, members of the media, Executive members of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners present, members of the small scale mining fraternity here with us and in your homes, officers from the Mineral commission of Ghana, our revered security agencies here with us, all protocols duly observed.

We have invited you here today to speak through you to the millions of Ghanaians and our cherished managers of our nation on ways we all can undertake to weed out illegal mining from our Republic and to promote sustainable Small scale mining devoid of the ills we all are complaining of for the benefit of our national economy and the generation unborn.

Distinguished members of the press, kindly permit me to use this opportunity to thank the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor and his Ministry for the invitation they extended to us to partake in both the National and Regional consultative Dialogues on Small Scale mining. We believe in dialogue as a means to contribute towards the socio-economic advancement of our nation.

The press, We as an association in charge of managing the interest and welfare of licensed small scale miners in Ghana take full responsibility of the happenings in the small scale mining sector today because we failed one way or the other to whip our members in line and most of our members also failed to respond to good counsel which has resulted to our current predicament where the state has imposed an implied ban on all forms of mining whether licensed or unlicensed in or outside the red zones in Ghana (Water bodies and forest reserves).

Distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen of the media, whilst taking some blames with regards to our current woes as an economic group, we cannot also leave some of the main contributory factors under the carpet, it is a known fact that political and traditional infiltration into the small scale mining sector affected the enforcement of the mining regulation in the country by the minerals commission of Ghana and the enforcement of the environmental governance policies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) resulting in the various illegalities and the threats associated with it.

Ladies and gentlemen herein gathered we are committed to sustainable mining, sustainable environment and sustainable methods of creating jobs and wealth for the people of this country and propose the following as a sure way of weeding illegal mining from the country.

1) Stamping out political infiltration to enhance proper regulation of the sector per the laws governing small scale mining in Ghana.

2) Adopt and implement Otumfour Osei Tutu II’s recommendation towards the fight against illegal mining during the Ashanti Regional consultative dialogue on small scale mining.

3) Publishing the list of licensed small scale mining companies in each mining district of Ghana so that member companies of the Ghana Association of Small Scale Miners will know the various companies within their areas of operation to enhance self-policing to weed out illegal mining from the country.

4) Adopt the self-regulation and policing within the mining districts by the licensed small scale mining companies in collaboration with the district branches of the Ghana National Association of Small scale miners.

We in the Dunkwa district of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale miners are ready to demonstrate to the people of Ghana with our structures including our monitoring task force that, with the backing of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, The Regional Ministers of both Ashanti and Central Regions and the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives as well as the various paramount chiefs within our jurisdiction our POLICY OF SELF POLICING AND REGULATION will reduce the cost of fighting illegal mining to the state and will promote sustainable small scale mining for job and wealth creation for all. With the right support from the State, our successes will be out there for other mining districts to learn from. 

We know the government has not placed a ban on small scale mining, reminiscing the words of the sector minister Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor when he granted an interview to the press after the Ashanti Regional Consultative dialogue on small scale mining which means our members with the relevant permits who are not within the red zones can do their legitimate business as per the terms of their license. If there is a ban on all forms of legal small scale mining, the government through the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources should address us officially.

We urge government to partner with us towards the attainment of the goals of the State to eradicate illegal mining and also challenge our hardworking Minister of Lands and Natural Resources that, with his support, we can completely eradicate illegal mining which he believes is not attainable from Ghana whilst legal small scale mining will be undertaken in a more sustainable way.

Thank you.