Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, seeks tougher penalties for politicians, chiefs, and kingpins involved in illicit mining in Ghana.
Dealing with such individuals (politicians, chiefs, and kingpins), according to Mr. Jinapor, would go a long way toward aiding the battle against illicit mining.
Samuel Abu Jinapor, speaking at the beginning of a national dialogue on illegal mining in Ghana, said that even more stringent measures are required to combat the danger.
“How should we identify, embarrass, and discipline officials, chiefs, religious figures, and powerful individuals who promote this illegal cartel in this industry?”
“What kind of compliance regime is needed that bites and does so without fear or favor?” was another crucial concern for the minister.
The National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining, which ends today, April 15, 2021, is supposed to produce a communiqué on how to address the illegal mining issue.
Read Also: Child marriage jeopardizes national growth – World Vision
The platform consisted of a two-day roundtable conversation on the problems that small-scale miners face.
Key mining specialists, the Small-Scale Mining Association, and the Coalition of Civil Society Against Illegal Small-Scale Mining, among others, contributed to the report.
At the ongoing National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining, some participants have suggested that tight implementation of mining regulations is one of the answers to the sector’s many problems.
Others advocated for the decentralization of mining lease and license allocation for small-scale miners.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
