Small scale miners to be licensed at the local level

By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Daboase

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has announced that his regime will put in place measures to ensure responsible mining at the small scale level by regulating their activities and licensing them at the local level.

The licensing, he explained, will involve the chiefs and the local assemblies. So, with this, the licensing process at the Minerals Commission will be terminated to make it simple for the individual or group of people to acquire a license.

“Geological Survey Authority data and mapping can show us where the gold can be found. The data will be used as Community Mining Scheme for small scale miners, so that they can easily identify where the gold is so we can direct them”.

Also, Dr. Bawumia said, “We will use common user facility such as the Gold catcher facility, which is mercury free so that you can get a lot of gold”.

Dr. Bawumia was speaking at a stakeholder engagement at Daboase, in the Wassa East District of the Western Region, as part of his four-day campaign visit.

He mentioned that “I will also introduce Mineral Development Bank to support the miners to get the capital and buy equipment for their mining activities” adding, let us support them to mine responsibly, what we don’t like is seeing you, mining in water bodies and destroying the environment.

He noted that small scale mining if done properly, will help to develop the country.

He pointed out that 50 percent of the country’s gold export is from the small-scale miners. One million job is also in this sector.

“What I would do when elected as President, is to ensure responsible and sustainable mining the country” he concluded.

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