In light of government’s renewed and intensified fight against the illegal mining (galamsey) menace, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has engaged members of the Media to brief them on what is expected to be the most radical and rigorous onslaught against the canker and also seek their support in the fight against illegal mining.
The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, saw the Lands Minister reaffirming government’s absolute commitment to tackling the galamsey canker and seeking the buy-in of the media as the government ramps up measures to eradicate galamsey.
While dismissing the notion that the government had abandoned the fight, the minister explained that the fight against galamsey is typified by two result-making models: the reformation of the sector and enforcement of the rules.
He explained that enforcement includes the deployment of the Operation Halt taskforce, decommissioning of excavators, and imprisonment of convicted illegal miners, among others.
The reformation pillar anchors on the establishment and institution of measures to ensure the socio-economic empowerment of the illegal miners who were chased out of their concessions through enforcement mechanisms.
He mentioned the Community Mining Scheme, improvement of the licensing regime, and issuance of mercury-free machines as some of the measures taken by the government.
Highlighting the features of the renewed fight, which he is absolutely certain will guarantee success for the country, Hon. Jinapor mentioned inter-agency collaborations as a key component.
He noted that the Ministry has engaged with regional Ministers and will hold talks with National Security, the Ghana Armed Forces, and allied institutions on strict enforcement of the laws against illegal mining.
He disclosed that the Minerals Commission has been tasked to double up and expedite efforts towards the certification of the Community Mining Scheme, which is a more sustainable mineral exploitation model endorsed by the World Bank.
