By Felix Cofie
The Vice President Prof Naa Jane Opoku Agyemang has called on MPs to show leadership in their various constituencies especially in constituencies where illegal mining is taking place to flush out those behind it.
Speaking at the Parliamentarians’ conference on restoring a culture of Proper small scale mining in Ghana, the Vice President said MPs are the direct representative of their people and knows those who are perpetuating this crime against the country. She said a multi stakeholder approach is critical to curbing the menace. She emphasized that government alone cannot lead in the fight, charging the MPs to come up with the proper solution to ending the crisis.
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah said government is determined in winning the fight. He warned that President Mahama will not call to intervene for any illegal miner arrested. The sector minister said the government renewed fight is targeting the financiers and the faceless people who engaged the illegal miners to work for them. He said the ministry is in strong collaboration with the Defence Ministry and other relevant security agencies to win the fight. He said in the past month, since assuming office as Sector Minister, he has taken immediate steps to address the crisis coming out with a systematic sustained well thought out and all-inclusive approach to solving the menace.
Which includes:
- Strengthening enforcement efforts:. have intensified collaboration with security agencies to clamp down on illegal mining operations and arrest perpetrators – we have, in the last couple of weeks, apprehended some Foreign and Ghanaians involved in these acts, and they are going to be prosecuted duly
- Stakeholder engagements: We are on a quest to actively undertake broad stakeholder engagements with Chiefs, Media and youth groups– and today’s event is one of such.
- Reviewing licensing regime: We are expeditiously reviewing the licensing regime to ensure a streamlined process so that only those who meet the legal and environmental requirements are granted permits. We are proposing a local permitting and policing unit by expanding DISEC membership to include EPA, Forestry, Water Resources and Minerals Commission with reps from the traditional authorities. A comprehensive review of the Community Mining Policy is also being developed to enhance transparency and ensure that ownership remains with the Community members.
He said these efforts will only succeed if all work together. The sector minister said the conference is not just about sharing information; it is about building a united front to tackle the challenges head-on.
