The Upper East Regional Chairman for Small scale Miners Tampoare Robert Boazor has said that all mining stakeholders need to come together to help addressed issues affecting mining activities in the country.
Mr. Boazor who was speaking in an exclusive interview with Apexnewsgh.com was responding to the President’s question during the last State of the Nation Address on what could be a way forward to address the mining issues in the country.
He stressed that the issue of small-scale mining is not about the military, is about the government in collaboration with the Mineral Commission who is the facilitator of the mining activities.
During the ban on Small Scale Miners, we and the government were always into several meetings deliberating on issues bothering the Small-scale miners and their activities in the country with some NGOs and some stakeholders. We understand clearly that, small-scale miners or the Galamsey issue in the country is not about the military, is about the small-scale miners and the government in collaboration with the mineral commission who is the facilitator of the activities. But we need to come together to be able to work out things and see that issues of small-scale miners or galamseyers in the country are addressed.
I say that because we the small-scale miners know the places that have been gazetted for small-scale miners and we know the areas that have not been gazetted for small-scale miners. So, for that matter, if you don’t have a license and you are operating outside the gazetted areas, you become an illegal miner or galamsey operator and I think, is with this regard that government of the day send thousands of people to be trained under Community Mining and it is only in the Northern sector that places have not been gazetted for small scale mining activities for Community Mining. But when you get to the southern sector; Ashanti Region, Western Region, Central Region, in all areas they do mining activities, there are areas allocated for the small-scale miners as a community mining and those who are doing the galamsey or illegal mining have been sent to those areas and now they are doing the work with the condition of Mineral Commission.
According to Mr. Boazor, issues of illegal mining or galamsay is still a worrying situation in the Upper East Region because, in 2016 the Mahama NDC government came and deblocked areas meant for small scale mining, giving the opportunity to the large-scale miners to take over all areas without considering the welfare of small-scale miners in the region.
“In 2016, the NDC government came and deblocked all those areas for large scale, when you see the large-scale companies that are operating in the region now, they are operating areas that are meant for small scale mining.”
However, Mr. Boazor hinted that they have presented some areas for Community Mining to the mineral commission and government for consideration but unfortunately, they have not received any response yet.
Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen
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