Understanding Small Scale Mining, Underlying issues, concepts norms and the way forward

Key take aways on Small Scale Mining

In the Mining Industry and in the World Bank Group, we have two sectors namely Large Scale Mining Companies which comply with both Local and International Standard, work at fixed areas, with hierarchical Administrative system including General Manager, Mining Manager Safety Manager, a clinic of hospital Health Personnel, Environmental Manager with adequate staff for each department.

Small Scale Mining issues as stated below

1. Small Scale Mining thousand years or centuries tradition or indigenous activity by the Ashantis and other clans, Banned by the Colonial Masters in 1933 and ban sustained during post-independence era in 1962, Ban was lifted in 1986 with ‘Galamasey Law’ at 77 of the Minerals and Mining 1986 (PNDCL153) to recognize the time-honored (traditional and indigenous) activity using simple tools or it is manual. No sophisticated technology.
2. Number gradually increase with population increase and the gold rush, currently over 30millions globally and about 3million in Ghana including women and children
3. They consider their mining activity or minerals as a gift from God to escape from poverty misery for hence not rich riding in luxury cars etc. but for poor and marginalized and jobless people...
4. Their activity is mainly informal economy, hence essentially manual neither administrative nor financial requirement, no barrier, move from place to place. According to the World Bank Group. Artisanal and Small Scale refers to all kinds of local mining activity that large Scale Mining Companies could encounter in their operations hence conflict may arise.
5. Do not care for their health, do not care for their safety hence Totally irresponsible, hence Environmental threat, a potential National Security threat

The way forward;

Clear Segregation of poor, marginalized and jobless participants or operators for whose operations is a strategy for livelihood as poverty alleviation) from the tycoons for wealth by;

Reset the original role of exclusive right for exporting gold by Precious Minerals and Marketing (PMMC) to buy an export gold from the Small Scale Mining Sector and Medium Scale Mining Sector and with time consider to upgrade the PMMC to Precious Minerals Board akin to COCOBOD so that it can also indulge in the Robbing Peter to pay Paul syndrome with syndicated loan

PMB if formed it should keep about 7 percent sales from Small Scale Mining Sector for Backfilling an replanting or reforestation

1. Revoke the Mining Licenses and upgrade them to Mining Rights either navigate them to Large Scale Mining as Junior Companies otherwise create new category as Medium Scale Mining Sector for them to operate under strict International and Local Standards Minimum capital if solely Ghanaian Company as GHC800,000.00 Since mining is capital intensive they should be free to partner with foreign financier who must pay not less than 2Millon Dollar. They should post bond in US Dollars as required in Environment Assessment Permit 1999 (LI 1652) for rehabilitation
2. Small Scale Mining as Create Community Small Scale Miners Project for the rural dwellers, Chief to be part of the Governance system of the Mining activity by appointing his Rep as Supervisor for a shared responsibility. .
3. Use of full range of Measures like Politically, Financially/Economically especially by Alternative livelihood Projects, Socially, Militarily to control them and provide protection. Academically skill how to run business and business accounting and technical training, Psychologically
4. Alternative Livelihood Projects through short and long time generation crops and animals.
5. Use the State Security Forces as Friendly Forces to monitor and control both Medium Mining Scale and Small Scale Mining, and Security to only act aggressively when necessary,
6. Link them with or see the nearby Multinational Large Scale Mining Companies through the Ghana Chamber of Mines for area to work, to provide technical support.
7. Seek support from World Bank, USAID, UNICEF and other relevant International Community, Provide technical and financial support and training in other trade and
8. Repeal Minerals and Mining Support Services Regulation 2012 (li2174).

My Country is at a cross road to take a tough decision on Small Scale Mining dubbed locally as Galamasey. Thus may affect the livelihood of Galamasey Communities nationwide otherwise those Communities close to rivers and the forest areas. National statistics indicate there are about 4milllons operators in the value chain the number increasing with the state of poverty which is the motivation hence a huge political constituents not to joke with. So this must be considered in the deliberate analysis.

Small Scale Mining is defined globally and in the lexicon of the World Bank Group as indigenous mining method akin to subsistence Agriculture or farming by millions of poor and marginalized people as operators including women and children using simple tools, with no money who regard the gold they are seeking for as a gift from God for them to escape from their poverty misery. They will take donkey years to destroy an area since they normally use simple tools and no usage of substantial expenditure.

With the concept that the gold is a gift from God or the ancestors and driven by poverty, should tell no barrier hence move from place to place simply chasing the gold vein and they will not care for their health, do not care for their safety, hence do not care for the environment, so irresponsible posture, no administrative, no managerial, no financial requirement have no respect for government etc and it seems Government and their compatriots do not understand and respect them.

The Government and others do not respect the real Small Scale Miners because they are not part of the stakeholders during deliberations on Small Scale Mining. They must be something very wrong with our Leaders, with the cacophony of Licensed Small Scale Miners (in real sense they are counterfeit Small Scale Miners since they are rich, can buy cars etc). Check with TV3 and you will be told that due to delay or nonpayment of the scholarships of Ghanaian Students on scholarships abroad some are doing Small Scale Mining to escape from their very poverty misery,

So the Mayor of Ketu cannot and will not fit in the global definition of Small Scale Miner. Hence the woes of Ghana, is a failure to understand the underlying issues, characteristics, concept, and norms and find a way to contain the numerous operators through Cooperative or Community Mining with Governance, so participation of the Community Leadership such as the Chief and Queen and spiritual Head is sin qua non a must) to ensure Shared Responsibility.

Let me give a true story or facts on what happened in the Talensi District. Check for the history of Kejetia Galamasey Camp and Obuasi Galamasey Camp established in Talensi in the Upper East Region in1995 by miners from Kumasi (Kejetia) and Obuasi respectively. The people of Talensi rejected them initially but due to famine or crop failure, they later on accepted them, with the Chief appointing his Rep in each camp. Each Camp employed a lot of men, women etc.

The Spiritual Head namely the Tidana was/is called upon to pray for them when a mishap occurred. Upon investigation by the Minerals Commission in 1996 and based by the Small Scale Mining Law at Section 77 of the Minerals and Mining Law 1986 PNDCL153 and the Small Scale Mining Law 1989 (PNDCL218) see section 21 for definition as operations with no substantial amount, no sophisticated technology and that a Community Mining is only to be allowed if and only if it is in the interest of the Community, Mining Licenses were issued to each of the two Reps of the Chief to formalize the Galamasey operations, hence their Galamasey operators worked under the licenses of the Licenses of their Camp Commanders.

In 2008, the two Reps of the Chief, who were given Small Scale Mining Licenses in 1996 for the two Galamasey Camps, were among the over 300 miners with licenses nominated by the Regime of President Kofour to go to China and understudy the Chinese in mining. This was beginning of the woes of Ghana and Small Scale Mining because the affected Ghanaians made business deal with the Chinese. So some of them were the people who initially introduced the Chinese in illegal mining. One of the Reps of the Chief used his Mining License to lure, the owner of Shaanxi Mining Company of China to initially work in small scale mining sector before transition to large Scale Mining Company as Earl International.

So at this juncture, one may ask what illegal mining?. Illegal Mining is simply a breach of a mining law or regulation. Small Scale mining by law is for Ghanaians only so the Chinese involvement in Small Scale Mining is illegal mining, the use of sophisticated equipment or substantial expenditure is illegal mining. The passage of Minerals and Mining Support Services Regulations 2012 (LI2174) contributed to influx of thousands of excavators by the Chinese into the Small Scale Mining Sector. This is due to the inducement of the Licensed Small Scale Miners. Imagine single Small Scale Mining Company with 40 excavators you can imagine the massive destruction within an hour as against the donkey years it would take to finish a small area by real Small Scale Miners., The total excavators of the Large Scale Mining Companies under the Ghana Chamber of Mines is not up to 70.

So a person with critical mindset thinking would conclude that License Small Scale Miners are those causing the illegal mining because they are the people who brought the Chinese and the excavators equipment for massive destruction and destruction of farms, hence licensed Small Scale Miners are also enemies to the environment. Read 2020 Report of the Auditor General on Small Scale Mining Companies.

Large Scale Mining Company like Newmont as a human institution is not immune from breaching a mining law and if it happens it will be wrong to say Newmont has done Galamasey

Understanding of the mentioned issues or details or characteristics, should tell a person with a critical mindset thinking that real Small Scale Miners need help urgently including skill training, Alternative Livelihood Projects, you cannot, and should not dream of license Small Scale Miners, since the motivation is livelihood and not necessary to generate wealth like the Mayor of Nankpanduri, who has job. So no need for Alternative Livelihood.

Critical thinking will tell that navigate licensed Small Scale Miners to Large Scale Mining as Junior Companies otherwise create a Medium Scale Mining Sector for them to freely collaborate with the Chinese miners. So that the Nation will gain enough from our Chinese friends including SSNIT Contributions.

Small Scale Miners with sophisticated equipment especially with Excavators operating in and close to rivers especially river Ankobra in Prestea started in 2010, which saw Hon Mike Hammer, then Hon Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in field personnel with a team and seized over 7 excavators and handed to Bogoso Mine through myself for conveyance to 2BN Myhoung Barracks, Takoradi, the Company did so and handed over to the Command of the Unit.

Almost a nationwide anti-illegal mining Operations were organized in 2013/14 to flush out Chinese illegal miners and evict their Ghanaian Compatriots. The Mother of anti-illegal mining operations was launched in 2017, because this operation saw the involvement of the media etc, an almost 2 years ban on Small Scale Mining, and the Combating monitoring enforcement of the ban by a Military Taskforce dubbed as OPERATIONS VAGUARD. Unfortunately, as at date the over 14 years of the fight against illegal mining operations did not make the desire impact. No idea of small scale miners navigated to Alternative Livelihood Projects.

To achieve success in anything you need to know what you wish to achieve and persevere (persist) in achieving it against risks, uncertainties, obstacles, oppositions thus a requirement of application of full range measures. So our problem we are not coherent due to inability to identify the enemy to the environment.

Understanding the enemy its original issues, characteristics, dynamics, norms etc so as to select the Aim through a deliberate process of analysis and evaluation of various options, in order to decide the principal objective and maintain for the success principle that is the First Principle of War as in the USA and British doctrine which is Selection and Maintenance of Aim same as the Principle of Business Success.

Our failure lack of understanding the issues has resulted in the troubling the waters with the terms like illegal mining, Small Scale Mining, Galamasey, Galamasey is illegal mining, illegal Small Scale Mining, illegal Galamasey operations, licensed Galamasey, licensed Small Scale Mining hence we woefully failed to identify the enemy with the associated risks and reduce it to the barest minimum deal with it.

To conclude, Critical thinking we tell us that we need to relook and act as stated above since Small Scale Mining whether with license or without license is the enemy. As explained above, the Licensed Small Scale Miners are the worst or real enemy they brought the Chinese and they are those using sophisticated technology. Galamasey is the local parlance or broken English term for Small Scale Mining in the Mining Industries or the lexicon of the World Bank Group because they have the same Characteristics. Small Scale Mining existed before the establishment of Gold Coast hence it was/is the indigenous method of mining akin to subsistence Agriculture for livelihood and or as a strategy to alleviate poverty. Galamasey originated or coined by the illiterates native as gather and sell in broken English during the era of the British Colonial Masters or the English speaking colonialists.

My motto is the interest of my Country Ghana First and the Interest of my family secondary I wish to state that through the advice of one of my former MDs, namely Mr Richard Gray that his staff to have empathy for the Galamasey Communities so I stated championing for the cause of Small Scale Mining in 2004 you confirm this in the email below with a work to relocate over 5,000 galamasey operators from Bogoso Gold and Obuasi Mine to Ayanfuri.

So the Company released funds to GEOMAN Consult to do the feasibility studies, the infrastructures etc, but it was aborted by me for good reasons.

So, though, it has not been easy at all for me for the past six years that is since 2018, because getting cash for simply Koko or meals and for medicals was/is problematic. This is due to my locked up investments and not on pension from the Ghana Army and did not make the 180 months of SSNIT contributions to qualify for SSNIT pension. I must confess that when trying times becomes very unbearable, consideration of committing suicide stem up. But by God’s work and the awareness of the unfinished work for the interest of the Galamasey which I started in 2004 as stated below. Below it is recommendation from Dr Aubynn former CEO of Minerals Commission for Parliament to review the bad law of Small Scale Mining.

So, in order to keep me busy putting details down for the consumption of the Public by God, the Modern Ghana Media House has accepted me as a Columnist, errors happen due to as stated not easy at all due too much thinking on the next meal etc, and no time to read through, also the rush is also to submit points to you to demo originality of thoughts, So let me say thank very much for the numerous mails or messages to you, your accepting them has helped keep me not to act wrongly like my compatriots who also loss their investment and who could not take it more since their day light has turned into darkness. So once again thank you very much

Major Mohammed Bogobiri (rtd)

02441 66045

The above mail the last one from CITIFM is recommendation on the bad Small Scale Mining Law.