Chamber of Mines kicks against 'ban' on activities of licensed small scale miners

The Ghana Chamber of Mines has kicked against the calls for the licensed artisanal and small scale miners to be included in the temporary ban of illegal mining in the country.

According to the chamber, placing a temporary ban on miners who have legally acquired their license could lead to judgement debts, which will come out of numerous litigation which are likely to be slapped on the government.

Some members of civil society and stakeholders within the mining industry have called for a ban on all forms of mining by artisanal and small scale miners.

They believe the banning illegal mining including the license artisanal and small scale ones could yield the desired results in the fight against illegal mining.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines Sulemana Koney in an interview with the thebftonline.com said, such a move would not be in the best interest of the country.

“If one has the license to run a business you don’t call for the business to be ban. Why do you want the business to be banned? A sweeping ban is going to be problematic. I think we have rules and regulations in this country and we don’t want a situation where we will have the operators who are duly license taking government on legally.”

“I think what needs to be done is to find out who they are and really monitor their activities and regulate them. Whiles we do that I think they would come together especially the illegal ones and do what is expected of them,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Small Scale Mining Association (GSSMA) has vowed to resist any move from government to halt the operations of its members.

According the GSSMA the operations of its members are certified under the laws of the country, possessing the required licenses and operating within the laws and rules governing mining in the country and hence their operation cannot be equated to that of illegal mining.