The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has indicated its intention to revoke more unapproved licences of small scale miner in the country.
The move, formed part of reformation and sanitization of the minerals dominance sector to streamline the mining laws and ensure compliance in a responsible mining regime.
Mr Abdul Waliu Kabore Mahmud, Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.
This follows the auditing into small scale mining licences bordering on issues of regulatory basis, expiry dates for issuance of mining licences among others by the sector Minister, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah on assumption of office this year.
The Minister invoked the Minerals and Mining Act of 2006 (703) and the Minerals and Mining Regulations 2012 (LI 2173) to revoke the licenses.
Mr Kabore Mahmud said in June this year, the sector Ministry dealt with 907 mining licences and gave most of them the opportunity to review by submitting better and further particulars.
“The time has elapsed so as of the time we took the decision, we were certain that 278 licences were clouded with issues of irregularities, regulatory basis, expiry dates among others.”
According to him, the Ministry had revoked 374 licenses so far including that of Akonta Mining firm.
The PRO said the next phase of the whole reformation and sanitization of the minerals dominance sector had to do with auditing of large scale mining companies.
“Once that is done, institutions will be strengthened to also strengthen their monitoring and evaluation.”
Mr Kabore Mahmud said recently the Minister, Mr Armah-Kofi Buah took delivery of 24 land cruisers earmarked to be allocated to the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and Water Resources Commission as a major retooling agenda.
He said the cars would enable the Ministry to be able to strengthen monitoring and evaluation to make sure that people mined in compliance with regulations, that people do sustainable mining with guidelines from the EPA.
“Once this is strengthened, we can be assured of two results; either people will do the right thing or more licences will be revoked and make them pay the penalty.”
GNA
