Government must encourage Ghanaians to do mining - Charles Owusu

Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu has called on government to encourage and assist Ghanaians to go into mining.

Charles Owusu bemoaned the habit of government giving premium opportunity to foreign companies to mine the country's minerals.

He outlined problems associated with giving mining concessions to foreign companies over local mining companies explaining the nation doesn't benefit when the mining sector is mainly exploited by foreign companies.

He noted that the nation fails to reap adequate revenues because the foreign companies send the revenues back to their home countries.

Charles Owusu believed, with appropriate mining permit and guidance by the government, the local companies or individuals will legally undertake appropriate mining activities which will hugely benefit the nation because the money will accrue to Ghana instead of leaving the shores of the country.

"Government must encourage Ghanaians to go into mining and assist them to do the mining in an appropirate way. We are sitting on gold but the companies exploiting our minerals are all foreign companies and when they mine too, we don't benefit from the mineral revenues because they mine and take all the money to their foreign countries.

" . . if the government will help the citizenry to engage in legal mining to ensure the revenues stay in this country, I believe it will enhance the growth of the economy and also help the Ghanaian miners to make ends meet. That is better than allowing these multinational companies to come over and take away our money," he stated while making submissions on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.