Lands Minister tasks regional ministers to root out illegal mining in their jurisdictions

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor has tasked Regional Ministers and their respective Regional Security Councils (REGSEC) to intensify enforcement of laws in their jurisdictions to contain incidents of illegal small-scale mining.

A statement issued by the Ministry on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting sustainable and legal mining practices

It stated that the government would continue with the dual strategy of reformative and strict enforcement measures against illegal mining

The Ministry highlighted the government's ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining, or "galamsey," which have been intensified under the current administration

The statement noted that following a high-level meeting, the Minerals Commission has also been mandated to enhance the government’s reformative efforts, particularly, through ramping up the establishment of responsible and legal community mining schemes which have regard to the preservation of the nation's environment and landscape.

It assured the public that the government is actively working on land reclamation projects in areas affected by illegal mining and remains committed to protecting water bodies and restoring degraded lands.

"The government remains steadfast and committed to continue to restore order and ensure that mining activities are conducted sustainably and legally in the national interest. We entreat all and sundry, to support these efforts to enable us to protect our environment, preserve our water bodies and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come,” it said.

The Ministry called on Ghanaians to be non-partisan in their discussions on illegal mining to enable the government to galvanise the needed national and collective support to root out the menace.

“While the government warmly welcomes the heightened interest in this all-important national issue, we urge the discourse to be devoid of partisanship to enable us to galvanise the needed national and collective support to root out this canker,” it stated.