The government has lifted the ban on small-scale mining, effective Monday, December 17.
Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng said on Friday, December 14, 2018, that the two-year ban is being lifted because an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining has successfully developed a comprehensive policy framework to regularise small-scale mining across the country.
He, however, stressed that only small-scale miners that have had mining concessions validated will be allowed to mine in designated areas.
“The ban on small-scale mining is being lifted for the compliant ones to go back to work within the regularised and reformed framework. The list of complaint miners will be published in the electronic and print media on Monday, 17th December 2018,” the Minister said during the launch of the framework.
The Minister explained that information on vetted artisanal miners will also be made available on the notice boards of municipal and district assemblies.
“Unregistered or illegal miners who were referred to as ‘galamseyers’ are being organised into community mining cooperatives and provided with concessions to work legitimately under the supervision of the district committees,” he revealed.
Government imposed the ban on small-scale mining as part of a frontal attack on the activity in line with President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promise to sanitise the sector at his inauguration as President.
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