THE former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, says the economy risks collapsing if an abrupt decision is taken to stop the operations of small-scale mining.
He said small-scale mining contributed largely to national development, creating jobs to a large percentage of the youth in Ghana, and any decision to ban it would affect the prospects of the economy significantly.
Mr Ayisi who was speaking to journalists at a day’s engagement forum on the review and proposed amendments to the 2014 Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703), at Aburi in the Eastern Region yesterday said small-scale mining had help boost the country’s economy and government had benefited significantly from it in terms of revenue through taxes and royalties.
“The whole idea of bringing you here is to sensitise you and give you education on the review of the law and the policy. The issue is that, the 2014 policy is undergoing review, and they are due to introduce a new policy, maybe, in the next two or three months, “he said.
According to him, the nearly 20-year old law was going to be changed to deal with emerging global trends, the circumstances in the country, new policies, medium-scale mining, the drive towards indigenisation, and so forth.
Mr Ayisi further explained the amendments would address the challenges Minerals Commission and other regulatory bodies had been experiencing over the last 20 years, and of course, the legitimate issues and concerns the public at large had been raising on the mining laws, especially the laws on illegal mining, locally known as “galamsey”.
He said, “In fact, there is a massive overhaul of the law and the policy ongoing, so we brought you here to take you through so that you can report and report accurately and properly on that”.
He moreover indicated that the new reforms that were going to change the law and the policy would, among other things, address the issue of companies holding license for good 30 years, when the data available to the Minerals Commission actually showed most of them (80-90 per cent) had about 10 to 12 mine life.
The GJA President, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, commended Mr Ayisi over his sterling leadership qualities, and asked the media to champion the need for the successful amendment of the Mining and Minerals Act in order that all mining-related concerns were addressed amicably.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, ABURI
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