AN appeal has been made to the mining companies to lease some of their concessions to small scale mining operators within their operational enclave, for them to mine to earn a living.
This would not only ensure that the small scale miners worked side by side with the mining companies towards the promotion of socio-economic development of the country, but also co-exist peacefully with the companies in the communities where they operate.
Mrs Rita Tani Iddi, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, made the appeal at a consultative workshop on small scale mining, organised by the Mineral Commission, at Tarkwa last Wednesday.
The one day workshop brought together some regulatory bodies such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lands Commission, mining companies, government officials, the media, non governmental organisations, the civil society groups, among others.
She said it was estimated that between 350,000 and 500,000 people are directly involved in small scale mining, of which people are benefiting from its immense contribution.
Mrs Rita Tani Iddi said arrangements and provisions for these small scale miners to register their businesses to operate legally had been put in place.
The move, she said would assist them to overcome some challenges such as the centralised and cumbersome regulatory framework, lack of capital, uneasy access to work in viable areas, environmental impacts among others.
She urged all stakeholders to collaborate with the government to help manage the problems associated with small scale mining.
For his part, the Chief Executive for Tarkwa – Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, Mr George Mireku Duker said the assembly is encouraging small scale mining operators to form co-operative unions to enable them to access some soft credit facilities from the financial institutions.
He also appealed to the Ghana Chamber of Mines to prevail on mining firms to lease some of their concessions to the small scale miners to enrich their economic life as well as to alleviate them from the hardships prevailing in the mining communities.
"When they are well settled, they would also contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the nation," he added.
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