Government to review mining laws - Benito Owusu-Bio

The government intends amending legislation on mining to include medium-scale mining activities, Benito Owusu-Bio, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has said.

According to him, small-scale miners are using heavy duty equipment including excavators, a situation which goes contrary to the laws governing small scale-mining in Ghana, hence the government will be reviewing the mining laws to introduce medium-scale mining which will allow the use of excavators.

Speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Friday May 19 on the fight against illicit small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana, he said: “What they (miners) are doing is medium-scale mining, not small-scale, because they are not allowed under the laws to be using excavators.

“Under the law, small-scale miners use equipment like shovel and pick axes and so now we are looking at reviewing the law to include medium-scale mining.”

He further indicated that licensed small-scale miners across the country who have been affected by the moratorium placed on their activities by the government should exercise patience.

According to him, the six-month moratorium was meant to weed out illegal miners, galamseyers, who, by their activities are destroying the environment.

“We appeal to the licensed miners and the general public to support the government in the fight against galamsey,” he urged.