The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has urged Small-Scale Miners in the Upper East Region to engage in regular peer regulation to help bring sanity in the sector.
During an engagement with the Small-Scale Miners Association of the Upper East Region which is intended to, among others, ascertain their level of operations, the lands minister called for stronger tides to be built among the members of the Association.
“By peer regulation what I mean is that you regulate one another. When someone is doing the wrong thing, you draw the person’s attention and call the person to order. At the level of the Association,;let the Association be strong so that you have proper leadership [where] there is command, there is control and well apportioned roles”.
Samuel Jinapor
The Minister also used the platform to appeal for the miner’s cooperation and support;to nurture the newly discovered Upper East Region Resources such as gold and granite into maturity and for the benefit of the people in the region.
“This is an infant mining industry in this Upper East Region and it’s still very much in its evolution stage… My dream is that we work together;so that the industry will become beneficial to the population here in the Upper East Region”.
Samuel Jinapor
Work closely with regional minister
Samuel Jinapor also requested that the miners work closely with the Regional Minister,;Honorable Stephen Yakubu, and the Minerals Commission to properly regulate and sensitize the sector. This, he explained,;will help prevent further illegal mining activities in region. Honorable Jinapor added that when these directives are properly followed through,;the entire region will fully enjoy the economic benefits.
The Small-scale Miners on their part,;petitioned government to expedite action on assigning some mining concessions;to members of the association to enable them earn some decent income and also prevent any illegalities in the sector.
They however,;expressed gratitude to the Minister for his efforts to curb the illegal mining menace through the introduction of the Alternative Livelihood Programme for illegal miners.
Work in accordance with law
Also, the Lands Minister while addressing some of the mining companies,;called for them to work in accordance with the law and regulations governing mining operations in the country. He urged them to involve the indigenous people in the region in their activities.
“Local content is absolutely key in the development of every mine in this country and so make use of particularly indigenous people”.
Samuel Jinapor
He emphasized government’s resolve on the retention of full value chain of minerals mined in the country and stressed that the era of exporting raw minerals and importing finished work is a thing of the past.
“So, I expect you to ensure that the full value chain is retained, and by that,;I mean it should be Ghanaian. It should be competitive but it should be Ghanaian”.
Samuel Jinapor
