Government to extend ban on small-scale mining

The government has said it will extend its six-month ban on small-scale mining activities because the objectives for the ban have all not been achieved.

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources John Peter Amewu announced the intention for the extension to journalists in the Amenfi East district of the Western Region after a tour of some mining sites.

“There’s going to be an extension because we have not achieved what we are looking for but we’ll put in modalities and during the extension period, a lot will be done, we are talking about regularizing the whole system,” Mr. Amewu explained.

Small-scale miners, most of whom claim they have licenses to mine, have been fighting the government over the ban. They say the government’s fight against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) has unfairly been extended to them even though they have been licensed to mine.

Mr. Amewu, however, said most of the small-scale mining licenses are not genuine and so would be revoked.

“As for the small-scale licenses that are existing already, well a pronouncement will be made because most of them are not going to be recognized and if they are not going to be recognized, then it means you should begin to make efforts of coming for new registration. Most of those small-scale licenses, 68 – 70% of them were issued in December,” he said.

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