Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mireku Duker, has urged Small-Scale miners to lead the fight against illegal mining.
According to the minister, Small-Scale miners have been put in a bad spot because of the activities of illegal miners.
The minister posits that this clarion call, if upheld by Small-Scale miners will go a long way to ensure calls for the ban on Small-Scale mining do not become a reality.
“I want to announce for all Ghanaians to know that God has blessed us as a country with gold and minerals so we will ensure that it’s mined responsibly with all rules and regulations applied, expatriates are not the only ones who should mine our gold but equally Ghanaians can also do same.
So I am pleading with you all to assist the government to flush out and get rid of all those mining in water bodies and after we can do that we will see if any individual or group of persons will get the courage to tell the government to ban small scale mining in the country, that will not happen today nor tomorrow,” he told Small Scale miners in Akwatia.
He pledged that through collaborative efforts between government and Small-Scale miners, illegal miners will be gotten rid of, leaving miners with licenses to thrive.
“We will get rid of all those polluting water bodies and help those with licences to do the work responsibly for you to make meaningful income to take care of your families and the country as a whole,” he added. J
