Fifteen Municipal and District Mining Committees from four Regions have been inaugurated in Bolgatanga, capital of the Upper East Region with the sole mandate to ensure responsible mining activities.
The Regions were the Upper East and West, North East and Savannah Regions with six members in each Committee led by Municipal and District Chief Executives.
The beneficiary Municipalities and Districts in the Upper East Region include the Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities, Talensi, Nabdam, Bongo and the Bawku West Districts.
In the North East Region, the Committees would be in the Mamprugu-Moagduri District, East and West Mamprusi Municipalities, while the Upper West Region, the Committees would be in the Nadowli-Kaleo, Jirapa, Wa, Sissala East and Wa East Districts.
The Savannah Region had only one Committee in the Bole District.
In his address, the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu tasked members in the respective Committees to work diligently to justify the confidence reposed in them.
He said the inauguration was a rare opportunity to help the four Regions in the North to elevate its present unenviable status to different levels, adding that the task of the Committee was very important, and if handled well, the benefits would bring development to the unemployed teeming youth.
He said the teeming unemployed youth, often migrated to the Southern part of Ghana, especially in the dry season to engage in illegal mining activities popularly called ‘Galamsey’ to earn a living.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mining, Hon. George Mireku Duker who inaugurated the Committees, charged them to support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the sector Minister to achieve the aim of the Committees.
He said globally, countries such as Australia, South Africa among others, that were blessed with gold deposits, encountered challenges in regularizing the mining sector.
“The onus is on us to get ourselves organized, be monitoring the activities of ‘galamseyers’ even more so, those who have been licensed to mine,” he said.
The Deputy Minister noted that some licensed mining companies were engaged in irresponsible mining, and charged the Committees to work to ensure illegalities within the sector were stopped.
As part of efforts to check the pollution of river bodies, Mr Duker said some speed boats were procured and would soon be commissioned by the President with river wardens to do intermittent patrols on the rivers.
Apexnewsgh.com
