Accra, July 31, GNA –The Artisanal Small-scale Mining-Africa Network (ASMAN) has called on government to develop a transparent and comprehensive regulatory framework to guide and govern Community Mining.
That, according to the Network, would ensure responsible and sustainable mining practices and help check illegal mining activities in the country.
“This must include the enhancement of capacity of community members in mining techniques, environmental conservation, and safety measures: to fostering strong community engagement and collaboration to promoting ownership and accountability,” Shallovern Srodah, Director, Value Addition, ASMAN, said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
He added that “this must also include monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to uphold the adherence to responsible mining practices.”
Mr Srodah said Small-scale Mining in Ghana, with its roots dating back centuries, was gradually being confused with illegal mining.
Illegal mining, he said, was a formidable menace due to the adoption of irresponsible and unsustainable mining methods, stressing that, the detrimental effects of the practice had cast a shadow over the nation, necessitating urgent measures to mitigate its adverse impacts.
The consequences of this mining phenomenon are far-reaching, encompassing environmental degradation, negative social vices, tax irregularities, money laundering, under-invoicing and over-invoicing, Mr Srodah explained.
On Environmental Degradation, Mr Srodah said unregulated mining practices had led to the pollution of river bodies and the destruction of aquatic life, deforestation, destruction of farms and farmlands.
“With the issue of Negative Social Vices, ASMAN finds links between the proliferation of unregulated informal mining and a surge in social issues such as teenage pregnancy, drug addiction, robbery, and school dropouts, posing serious threats to the well-being of mining communities and the extended enclaves,” he said.
He added that that “the lack of proper regulation and oversight has also given rise to tax irregularities, impacting the national revenue, and hindering optimum socio-economic development.”
The Community Mining Concept, he said, emphasised responsible mining practices within the purview of community members, adding that, by empowering residents to engage in mining activities responsibly, it was envisaged that these communities could harness their resources while preserving the environment and promoting socio-economic development.
He noted that even though ASMAN acknowledged its support for the concept of Community Mining, the current implementation lacked credibility and had regrettably become overly politicised, which results in institutional interference and lack of will power to effectively formulate and regulate the sub-sector.
The efficacy of the execution, he said, fell short of expectations and, unfortunately, paralleled the effects of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey), if not a glorified galamsey on its own.
“Recognising that Ghana’s diverse communities are naturally endowed with precious minerals like gold, diamonds, bauxite, and other valuable resources, it is imperative that residents in these areas resort to mining.” Mr Srodah stressed.
“As a responsible stakeholder, ASMAN urgently calls upon policy makers to exercise diligence and take appropriate measures to address these concerns and ensure the proper and effective implementation of the Community Mining concept.
“ASMAN, in collaboration with stakeholders and the government, calls for urgent actions to address the challenges posed by the community mining concept vis a viz the prevailing challenges of unbridled informal mining in Ghana,” he urged.
GNA