The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners has firmly rejected calls for a nationwide ban on small-scale mining following the August 6 military helicopter crash near Adansi-Akrofuom, which killed eight officials, including Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
The officials were en route to an event addressing illegal mining and promoting responsible practices when the crash occurred.
In response to public calls for a mining ban, Ashanti Regional Secretary of the Association, Michael Adu-Gyamfi, indicated that, “Linking the incident to small-scale miners is very unfortunate. We should instead concentrate on identifying the actual causes of the accident” Mr. Adu-Gyamfi argued.
He emphasized that the crash had no direct connection to the activities of licensed miners.
“If you look at the incident, it is entirely different from small-scale mining. When you connect the two, it makes us lose focus”, he clarified in an attempt to disconnect the unfortunate event from the activities of licensed small scale miners.
The Association urged government to invest in aviation safety and avoid politicizing the tragedy.
