The Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining through dialogue with traditional leaders of Akofrom and other Paramount Chiefs in the mining areas, secured at least 94 Kilometers square land size of Anglo-Gold Ashanti mining concession to support the government initiative which is aimed at halting illegal mining in the area.
The government in 2017 banned small scale mining activities across the country which was becoming a national security threat after destroying several water bodies and other precious vegetation covers across mining communities in the country.
The 94 Kilometers square land size mining site each contains over 70 concessions which will employ over 4,000 miners under strict safety supervision by experts from Anglo-gold Ashanti (AGA) and the University of Mines and technology in Tarkwa.
Under this rock mining project, the use of harmful mercurial chemicals is unacceptable to be used in the extraction of gold.
Speaking at the official commissioning of the project, Professor Stephen Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Science and Natural resource who double as chairman of Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) said, commissioning of the community mining project at Akrofom for the Obuasi mining communities marks another success of the ruling NPP government commitments in halting illegal mining in the country.
“This community mining project is mostly about rock mining which has nothing to do with water pollution and soil destruction. The only thing we have to guide against is to ensure that, miners do not use extraction methods that require mercurial chemicals in washing’’ he said.
Touching on safety practice on-site, Professor Boateng disclosed that because the miners will mine underground, experts from Anlo-Gold Ashanti have been engaged to provide technical guidance with other support from the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa in none use of mercurial methods in gold extraction.
“This gives us hope that we are on the right path to halt illegal mining under this community mining initiative because thousands of people are returning to small scale mining to do responsible mining’’ he added.
The National Chairman of Small Scale Miners Association Evangelist Collin Osei Kusi commended the government for the initiative.
He said the community mining project will halt the stress his members had to endure before they could secure land for mining.
“This is a very smart move by the government initially we misunderstood government when the ban on small scale mining was effected but with time we have realized that responsible small scale mining is the best practice we have to adopt under the new community mining project. Formerly our members were struggling to acquire land or concession for small scale mining but government has given us land free of charge with technical support. Therefore, I will like to advise captains of the small scale mining sector to embrace this new initiative’’ he added.
He also urged members of their associations who have acquired concessions to mine under the new community mining project to obey all rules governing the operation.
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