Government, in consultation with the Minerals Commission, is to designate areas to be reserved for small-scale mining activity based on technical and financial viability.
The Minerals Commission will develop standardised procedures, including adequate advance notice and community representation, in deliberations leading to the designation of areas.
Small-scale mining in the country is defined to include the exploitation of mineral deposits using fairly rudimentary implements at low levels of production, and with minimal capital investment.
Mr. Benjamin Aryee, Chief Executive Officer, Minerals Commission said: “The minerals licencing system incorporated in the draft mining law to be presented to cabinet, and will provide for granting mineral rights to small-scale mining operations reserved for Ghanaian citizens to manage land use conflicts in the context of small-scale mining.
“To encourage the use of appropriate, affordable and safe technology, government is giving support to the collation and dissemination of information about appropriate technologies, the provision of extension services and demonstration of improved technologies.
“Government will work with and encourage mining companies to collaborate and give support to small-scale miners where it can be established that this will be in the mutual interest of the parties,” he disclosed.
About 50,000 small-scale miners extract gold from alluvial, tarkwaian and primary deposits, and wash diamonds from placer deposits.
The majority of these miners, often referred too as “galamsey operators”, work without a legal title and very often on concessions of large mining companies.
While the large-scale mining of particularly gold has become predominant, small-scale mining, which predates such operations, has continued to be an important economic activity - particularly within the remote and poorer areas of the country.
The small-scale gold and diamonds mining industry is of great importance to Ghana. Since its regularisation in 1989, the sector has produced and sold over 1.5 million ounces of gold and 8.0 million carats of diamonds.
During the same period, the sector also provided direct employment to over 100,000 people and improved the socioeconomic life of many individuals and communities.
Mr. Aryee in an interview with B&FT in Accra observed that there is a lot of lawlessness in the country’s small-scale mining sector and that Chiefs, Assemblymen, Opinion leaders and land owners in the mining communities just give out lands for small-scale mining operations. These practices make it unattractive for investors.
He urged stakeholders to properly bring operations to the attention of the Minerals Commission, Inspectorate Division and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for stringent monitoring to ensure that small-scale mining is safe.
“The current mining operation is dynamic, and the country needs to bring on board new international standards including the closure and post-closure criteria.
“The environmental impacts of such small operations have however varied, depending on methods and the scale of operation.
“To mitigate the negative impacts of small-scale mining, government will disseminate information to raise awareness of health, safety and environmental risks, and will periodically review and disseminate occupational health and safety guidelines for small-scale mining,” Mr. Aryee remarked.
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