Small Scale Miners Educate Illegal Operators

In an effort to help minimize the influx of illegal miners in the country, the Ghana National Association Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) is embarking on educational campaigns to get illegal miners to join the association.

According to the association, the surge in illegal mining activities and the havoc being caused to the environment informed its decision to embark on a membership drive.

“As an association, we are not only interested in encouraging illegal miners to legalize their operations and join the association, but we are also sensitizing and educating them on the dangers of operating illegally,” Francis Opoku Public Relations Officer of GNASSM told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE.

He explained that the association had put in place a system known as “zoning,” stressing that as part of the move mining communities meet both the legal and illegal small scale miners and encourage them to form smaller associations.

“When we put them into smaller associations, we then inform and educate them on the importance of joining the association and the benefits thereof,” Mr. Opoku.

He said it recently inaugurated one of such groups at Ayanfuri in the Central Region and would roll out the programme across the country by the end of 2013.

Mr. Opoku was speaking on the sidelines of policy dialogue meeting on mainstreaming small scale mining in Ghana, organized by the Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) and the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC Fund).

He added that the association had also adopted a strategy, stressing that the chiefs in mining areas serve as patrons of the smaller associations.

“If a chief is giving a position as a patron, he would not give land away for illegal mining.”

He noted that the Minerals Commission was doing every thing possible to regularize the activities of illegal small scale miners “but because they are understaffed, they cannot go everywhere. So we have taken it upon ourselves as an association to help organize these people because at the end of the day once the people become part of us and are well educated, they will not be attracted to the illegal mining.”

Sheila Menkah-Premo, the legal adviser of GCM, also encouraged the association to share some of their challenges with the Chamber in order to assist them.