Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has revealed that the lack of proper oversight in Ghana’s mining sector has allowed small-scale miners to engage in unauthorized mining activities.
Speaking before Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Mr. Buah emphasized that a significant part of the problem lies in the absence of a well-structured licensing regime.
He explained that many local mining companies exploit loopholes by operating as small-scale miners, obtaining licenses to operate in restricted areas. “You have an individual holding about 50 licenses because he has not been classified as large-scale. He wants to continue mining, so he is operating in contiguous areas. When you put it all together, he’s probably close to large-scale mining.” he shared.
Mr. Buah described the behavior of such dealers as illegal and identified them as equal contributors to the damage inflicted on water bodies and the environment. “In terms of what we see in the pollution of our water bodies and the destruction of our environment has to do with some of the illegalities perpetrated not only by the illegal miners but even the people with small-scale mining licenses.”
He assured Parliament’s appointments committee that, if approved, he would conduct a holistic review of all mining licenses held by individuals and operators in the sector.
