‘We Need Support’ – Local Miners Tells Gov’t

The Association of Small scale miners has pleaded with government to help to enable them well in their operation.

According to the members, they will find it difficult to resume work if the government fails to support them financially.

Their concern follows government’s announcement that it has lifted the 20- month ban on small-scale mining, effective today, Monday, December 17, 2018.

Director of Research and Development for the Association of Small Scale Miners, Mike Gizo, in an interview said financial assistance from the government will be highly welcomed since majority of the miners lost their investments during the period of the ban.

“We are trying to talk to some financial institutions to be able to secure loans, but I don’t know how successful that will be. Most of the miners will not be able to return to site immediately. If there is a facility from government that will be able to assist us and serve like a pivot for us to stand on in returning back to site, that will be welcome. If not, we would have to source for financial assistance ourselves. I’ll not term it as compensation, but if it comes we will not reject it,” he said.

The government on Friday announced the lifting of the ban on small-scale mining, effective Monday, December 17.

Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng said on Friday, December 14, 2018, that the two-year ban is being lifted because an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has successfully developed a comprehensive policy framework to regularise small-scale mining across the country.

He, however, stressed that only small-scale miners that have had mining concessions validated will be allowed to mine in designated areas.

“The ban on small-scale mining is being lifted for the compliant ones to go back to work within the regularised and reformed framework. The list of complaint miners will be published in the electronic and print media on Monday, 17th December 2018,” the Minister said during the launch of the framework at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).