Minister expresses concern about illegal mining

Gbane (UE), May 20, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, has expressed concern about the spate of land degradation due to illegal small scale mining, in the region.

“A lot of our environment is degraded and if we do not protect the land from degrading, our children's children will not have lands to farm and this will further aggravate the poverty situation in the Region, ” he said.

Mr Woyongo expressed the dismay at a sod cutting ceremony for the construction of a bridge at Gbane in the Talensi-Nabdam District.

He warned that the Regional Coordinating Council and the Minerals Commission would prevent people without licenses from operating as miners.

He noted that most of the lands that had been degraded had not been reclaimed, and called on the Shaanxi Manning Company Ghana Limited, which was constructing the bridge and other mining companies to reclaim land after their activities.

The Regional Minister commended the Shaanxi Manning Company Ghana Limited for its contribution to the development of the region.

He cited that the Company had donated 114 dual desks and four teachers' tables to a basic school, a car to the District Assembly, extension of underground water and creation of jobs for the people, especially the youth.

Mr Woyongo noted that if construction of the “Oun Bridge” which is estimated to cost 1,000,000 US Dollars was completed it would facilitate socio-economic activities.

He said that plans were also far advanced by the Company to extend hydro electric power from the Pwalugu Sub-station to the Mining site.

“When this project is completed, many communities within the catchment area will be connected to the national grid. Additionally, plans are far advanced for the provision of a number of boreholes to the community to get access to good drinking water”, the Minister said.

Mr Wei Xing, Chief Executive Officer of the Mining Company, noted that though the Company was on its development stages, it viewed corporate social responsibility as a major vision.

The worse forms of illegal small scale mining in the region were found in the Talensi Nabdam District where many households had lost their farmlands.

Apart from that most school children had abandoned schooling and were engaging in illegal mining in violation of the country's labour law and the International Human Rights Convention.

GNA