Work without fear with right documents - Dr Krugu to miners
Story by: Apibire Major
The National Coordinator for Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small Scale Mining, Dr. John Kingsley Krugu has admonished persons and groups involved in all forms of mining to register their activities with the Minerals Commission.
That, he noted would enable them to legally operate their mining business with fear.
He said with the current era of digitization, one did not need to travel to Accra to acquire documents for mining, as that could be done in the comfort of their homes by logging onto the Minerals Commission’s website.
He said the menace of illegal mining activities in Ghana compelled government to introduce a Community Mining initiative to enable registered groups at the community level to mine responsibly within their catchment areas.
This, Dr Krugu emphasized would reduce the rate of unemployment among the youth in Ghana.
Dr Krugu who spoke on the "You and the Environment" programme on GBC's URA radio in Bolgatanga, said 85 people were inaugurated as District Mining Committee members to supervise activities of Small Scale Miners across the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Ghana.
He said the Committee members would soon be given full training to enable them execute their role effectively and efficiently.
Government, in its quest to sanitize the Mining Sector, procured over hundred gold picking machines, which would effectively pick gold as compared to mercury which posed health risks to humans and the environment, he said.
"This is government's way of discouraging miners from using harmful chemicals and other harmful environmental practices in mining," the National Coordinator said.
He disclosed that only the Bongo District for now, had one of the machines, saying that the remaining Districts in the Region would soon receive their share.
Dr Krugu said government was not against mining, but stressed that it was however, against irresponsible mining activities that had dire consequences on the environment.
He said the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small Scale Mining Department was multi-sectorial, and worked closely with the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Water Resources Commission.
He said with the support of these critical Ministries and funding support from the World Bank for revegetation and land restoration, due registration was done for all small scale miners.
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