We are not against small scale mining – Abu Jinapor

• The Lands Minister has said a monthly stakeholder meeting will be held to draft proper measures to fight illegal mining

• He also noted that regulations are being put in place to fight illegal mining in the country

• According to him, the government is not against small scale mining

Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has stated that his sector is not against small-scale mining but rather believes in using the appropriate method to carry out mining operations.

He said the ministry is working on proper reforms and measures to review the license and permit regime to ensure a decentralization mechanism.

“I would like to emphasize that we are not against small scale mining. Indeed, the Lands and Natural Resources ministry is concurrently working on the enforcement mechanism, the enforcement regime as well as getting the issues of reforms, regulations dealt with. We’ve brought in some machines which are going to assist in the extraction; we are reviewing the licensing regime so we can decentralize it. For the permitting regime, we are trying to involve the chiefs a lot more and other interventions which will ensure that small scale mining is regulated,” he said at the Meet the Press briefing in Accra.

He also noted that there will be a stakeholder engagement every month with the Association of Small Scale miners to develop a well-planned strategy to curb illegal mining.

“I think two days ago, I met the association and leadership of the Small Scale Miners Association at the Ministry and we engaged in extensive discussions. The plan is to meet them once a month, so I want to make it very clear that president Nan Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and this government are not against small scale mining but what we are vehemently against is the distraction of water bodies and forest reserves we have,” he added.