A Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, has described the vision of the NPP’s flagbearer for the mining sector as a ground-breaking strategy capable of revolutionizing Ghana’s mining industry entirely.
He said that the strategy is anchored on two thematic areas, which are “ushering Ghana into a Golden age for the maximization of the benefits from our natural resources like gold, lithium, bauxite, and so on. The key to doing this is value addition and Ghanaian ownership; and establishing a new paradigm in natural resource contracts.”
Addressing the media yesterday, Mr Mireku Duker said that the 18-point policy document would ensure the formalization, regularization, and regulation of environmentally sustainable small-scale mining to guarantee the growth and expansion of the sector.
To achieve this laudable objective, the Deputy Ministry said, a government led by the Vice-President will create a viable link within the entire value chain of the small-scale mining sector which will enable them to sell their gold to the Bank of Ghana and be part of the gold reserves of the central bank.
Decentralisation
Mr Mireku Duker believes the Bawumia administration will continue the decentralization program embarked on by the Akufo-Addo government relative to the Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that these two institutions will have a presence in all mining districts to enable the smooth administration of mining activities in the country.
He added that the Community Mining Scheme which is already yielding positive results will be scaled up to ensure its sustainability and also all small-scale miners will be registered with the National Small Scale Miners Association.
The Deputy Minister also believes Dr. Bawumia’s administration will drastically reduce illegal mining activities with innovative ideas and policies and also crack the whip on recalcitrant miners without fear or favor.
To this end, he urged Ghanaians, particularly, those in the small-scale mining sector to have absolute confidence in Dr Bawumia to protect their jobs and also rid their industry of the excesses crippling it and the country at large.
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