Galamsey would not be scraped- Mrs Bannerman

Accra, July 24, GNA- Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Mines said on Thursday, small-scale mining is to regulated and controlled to ensure the safety of life and the environment.

She said this was in line with government's policy to encourage entrepreneurs to participate in all lawful ventures that have economic potentials.

Mrs Bannerman was speaking at the presentation of the results of a study conducted by Environment Researchers from Ghana and France into mercury exposure at Japa due to Galamsey activities.

The results from the study with sponsorship from UNIDO indicated that the activities of galamsey operators affected both the health of community members and the environment. There were signs of mercury levels in food, fish and human hair, blood and urine, which could have catastrophic consequences for the Japa community in the Western Region. Mrs Bannerman said government legalized small-scale gold mining in 1989 to regulate the activities of miners and ensure that acceptable mining practices were employed.

"It was also to provide legal employment in the rural areas for those who could make a living out of the activity, thereby reducing rural-urban migration," she said.

This, Mrs Bannerman said, has contributed a quota to the national economy as statistics at the Minerals Commission and Precious Minerals Marketing Company Limited, showed that gold produced by small-scale gold miners rose from 9,270 ounces in 1989 to 160,879 in 2002."

She said these have not come without a cost, yet if the mineral resources of the country were to be effectively and efficiently exploited, there was the need for small deposits to be looked at.

Mrs Bannerman said government would ensure that suitable areas were identified and demarcated for small-scale gold mining so as to minimize the rate of encroachment on large-scale mining concessions. Mr Benjamin Nii Ayi Aryee, Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission said it was essential that the mining sector be sustained and propelled along with the education on harmful practices and its effect on the environment and human beings.