Hon. George Mireku Duker, MP, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Mines has motioned community engagement as the most effective measure in tackling the illegal mining menace.
According to him, for government to succeed in the fight against galamsey, it needs the support of communities in the mining areas and that attention should be focused on averting their minds to the destructive effects of galamsey.
Speaking during community engagement exercise at Manso Amenfi in the Wassa Amenfi Central District of the Western Region, Hon. Mireku Duker minced no words in declaring his complete abhorrence for all forms of illegal mining in the country.
He, however, opined that a holistic ban on all forms of small-scale mining activities in the country is not the panacea to the galamsey menace.
While welcoming military intervention in the fight, the Deputy Minister said that it will not address the problem in the long term as the military officers will not be stationed at the sites indefinitely.
Instead, he proposes meetings between the government, leaders and residents of mining communities to appeal to their conscience and get their support in the fight against illegal mining.
Reacting to calls for the government to place a ban on small-scale mining in the country, Hon.Duker drew the attention of the proponents of such calls to the untoward hardships a total ban would create in the country, particularly in mining areas.
He surmised that with the sector currently employing over one million Ghanaians, a ban would invariably spike the unemployment rate in the country by one more million persons. Putting figures to help contextualize the situation, he said if each of the one million employees in the small-scale mining sector has four dependents, five million Ghanaians could be in trouble if the government heeds calls for a total ban.
Instead of a total ban, the Deputy Minister is advocating that each situation be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with stakeholder engagement at the crux of it.
“As I speak, small-scale mining directly employs one million Ghanaians. All the big mining companies employ less than 10,000 Ghanaians. Ghanaians in the small-scale sector on average have four dependents. When you sum it up, you will realize that the sector alone is supporting over 5 million Ghanaians. Are we saying we should deny the 5 million Ghanaians of their livelihoods?” he quizzed.
Hon. Mireku Duker, who is the coordinator of the Bawumia 2024 campaign in the mining communities, reminded the miners of the commitment he has shown in protecting their livelihoods.
Hon. Mireku Duker charged the miners to punish political parties who are advocating a total ban on their activities, as their arrival in government could spark the end of the small-scale mining sector in Ghana.
The NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the area, Dr. Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, disagreed with calls for a ban on Small Scale Mining and affirmed his commitment to protecting the jobs of the people whiles ensuring responsible mining.
