Ghana has seventy percent of gold found in West Africa - WAIMM

Research Fellow at WAIMM, Mr. Prince Alec Douglas Gaisie, has revealed that seventy percent of Gold minerals found in the West Africa sub-region are deposited in Ghana.

He said gold mining in the country has been going on for four hundred years, not hundred years, as have been propagated in the media over the years.

Touching on small scale miners and their activities in the country, he noted, unlike those who practice Galamsey, small scale miners are registered and legally recognized by the state and authorities in the mining sector.

He said Alluvia mining or mining in water bodies is not the main cause of the many challenges that have bedeviled the mining industry in the country. He stressed the surged of illegal mining or Galamsey started in 2011 when the price of glad shot up to one thousand nine hundred.

He noted the mining industry needed more communication and transparency, highlighting that, the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative has been put in place to improve flow of information among all stakeholders, including government, industry players, local authorities and citizens.

He said the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative allows stakeholders see the amount of money mining companies operating in the country pay to government and how much of such monies are returned to mining areas for their development.

According to Mr. Gaisie it is however unfortunate that mining areas in the country are in deplorable states, adding that, it is important Ghanaians keep asking questions and demanding accountability from government and authorities in the mining sector and areas.

He noted mining industry must be approached strategically, but sadly most of the state companies in charge of mining do not have the enough experts that provide solutions to the issues that arise in the sector.

Mr. Prince Alec Douglas Gaisie made these observations on the #InFocus segment of #HealthyMorning, talking to Cecil Lee Longdon about the impacts of Gold mining in Ghana.