George Mireku Duker in a group picture with some gold buyers
Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker has
urged gold buyers to desist from buying gold from foreign nationals who smuggle
gold to their home countries without paying legitimate taxes to the government.
He said the activities of small-scale miners have not had much influence on them
but will trickle down to the communities in which they live and operate. This is because the small-scale miners mine and sell the gold to foreigners.
Speaking at a meeting with the Gold Buyers Association of Tarkwa, George Mireku Duker said “The government is clamping down on all foreign nationals who are involved in these illicit activities”.
He said the Minerals and Mining Act 703 permits only Ghanaians to engage in
small-scale mining activities, but the sale of gold in the country is done by most foreign nationals who smuggle the gold without paying legitimate taxes to the government.
“Government wants Ghanaians to buy the gold produced by small-scale miners
so that it will inure to the benefit of Ghanaians and not for a foreigner who doesn’t have license”, he added.
He stressed that: “You should not condone and connive with foreign nations to
buy gold unlawfully”.
To this end, he said the government will build the capacities of individuals to
acquire the needed license to buy gold independently.
He explained that the establishment of the Precious Mineral Marketing Company
(PMMC) in Tarkwa will help build their capacity.
He expressed worry about the use of mercury in gold processing by small-scale miners in Tarkwa.
He noted that: “if care is not taken the next generation will suffer severe illness because people are smelting gold with mercury in town which is not good for the health of mankind”.
To help deal with that situation, the deputy minister said “We are developing a
technology that could smelt gold without the use of mercury”.
He explained that similar meetings will be held in all mining regions to address
these issues that will ensure the benefit of all Ghanaians.
The Chairman of the Tarkwa Gold Buyers Association, Alhaji Sulemanu Dauda
on behalf of the association thanked the deputy minister for the education, and
gave the assurance that members would comply with it to ensure a smooth
operation of their business.
