GNASSM: Disregard Call To Ban Small Scale Mining, cautions Gov’t
The Ghana National Association of small scale miners has noted, with great concern recent discuss in the media by Ghanaians on the pollution of river bodies and the destruction of the environment and also mining within the forest reserves.
“We, the members of the Ghana’s National Association of small scale miners, share in the plight” he emphasized.
They also oppose all forms of illegal mining activities that leads to the pollution of water bodies and the destruction of the environment small scale miners in our operations.
Speaking at the press conference held in Eastern Region to address their concerns, the general secretary of the Ghana National Association of small scale miners, Godwin Amarh hinted that they have high turgidities, and it becomes very difficult for small scale miners to recover gold. So most of the small scale miners now have resulted in digging of wealth to operate and to process our all.
“So, any river pollution in any form, we are against it because it also affects our business. We wish to emphasize that nothing is a responsible Association, and the members are all legitimate, small scale miners who have gone through the process to acquire the alliances to operate” he lamented.
According to him, they have acquired license, and if any other business in this country goes through the process to acquire licenses to operate.
Notwithstanding that why is it that if someone is perpetrating an illegality which the law had made provision for. Sanctions of such persons.
“We should say that they should ban that sector. It’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate. And the National Association will not sit down for what happened in 2017 to 2018 to happen again, because most of our members who have gone through the process to acquire their licenses to work were banned at the end of the day. It resulted in people even dying because they’ve taken loans they cannot pay” he recounted.
Mr. Amarh reiterated the fact that they have supplied that they cannot pay, and at the end of the day they were out of business, their families and all that were torn apart.
“We will not sit down for that to happen again. So, the sections that are calling for ban on small scale mining, we are trying to let them understand that we also have the same rights as they also have” he fume.
This is a Ghanaian business. These are Ghanaians working in our extractive sector, ensuring that they will do their business well, get the minerals in the development of our economy.
“As we speak now, small scale mining doesn’t happen. Doesn’t happen in forest reserves. The license that we hold no small scale miner has been issued with any license to work in a forest reserve” he worried.
Forest Reserve, by law, are reserved for only large scale companies, because they say small scale miners don’t have capacity to work in our forest reserves.
He mentioned that they have individuals and entities that are working in the forest reserve as prospectors, some as recognitions licenses holder’s.
The Ghana National Small Scale Miners call on political parties to declare their stands on Small Scale Mining and stop doing politics with indigenous businesses.
He said the total ban of small scale mining is not the solution and call on entities to rather come on board so that they can work together to fight the menace of galamsey operations in the country.
The small scale miners will opposed any plans to ban their operations and call on government to listen to their cry and worry as indigenes of these state.
By: Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina
