Small-scale Miners begins Vetting Tomorrow

Small-scale miners are to be vetted by the government from Monday, November 26, 2018. The vetting panel with look thoroughly into their working documents.

This vetting will be done with the purpose of ensuring that all small-scale mining activities in the country are done in a responsible, environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner.

In December 2017, President Akufo-Addo announced the vetting in a bid to eliminate illegal small-scale mining in the country.

Subsequently, an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) was inaugurated to achieve the long-term objectives of combating illegal small-scale mining, protecting the environment, and ensuring that mining in the country conforms to international standards, rules and regulations.

The vetting process, which is being spearheaded by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal mining will be held within a two-week period from Monday, November 26, 2018, to December 7, 2018.

Prof. Frimpong Boateng who is the Chairman of the Committee at a press conference in Accra in the month of Accra said the finalization of the vetting process would inform the government’s timeline for the lifting the ban on small-scale mining.

“If the vetting goes on well then we will know when exactly the ban will be lifted,” he said.

The government was compelled to issue the ban in 2017, at the time illegal mining was destroying the county’s land and water resources.

It was however announced that the ban on small-scale mining may be lifted in December.