100 small-scale miners have been issued with licences to operate at the Bawdie Dompim Community Mining Site which was commissioned by President Akufo-Addo on July 24 this year.
The Community mining project aimes at licensing small-scale miners to ensure responsible and sustainable mining.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the Chairman of the Local Miners Union at the Bawdie Dompim Community Mining Site, Nana Kwaku Badu, commended the initiative and pledged to encourage more miners to register under the programme.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Wassa Amenfi East, Helena Appiah, said the exercise is intended to ensure regulation of the mining sector through the development of a database which will be used to regulate activities of local miners.
“We have a task force comprising the Police, BNI, and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) which is prepared to deal with individuals who may engage in illegal mining,” she added.
She said the task force will ensure that Community Mining workers adopt sustainable practices while avoiding the use of pollutants and other harmful methods as they mine for gold.
According to her, community-mining-designated areas such as the Bawdie-Dompim Community Mining site will later be earmarked for reclamation when miners vacate the land.
She said the efficient management of the Community Mining Sectariat database will also provide an avenue for government revenue mobilisation through taxation.
The Chief of Wassa Afransie, Nana Amuah Gyaafo, lauded the initiative and expressed hope that it will mark an end to misunderstandings between local miners and the various task force groups which were constituted to combat illegal mining.
He said, the initiative, will bring peace to mining communities within the municipality where small-scale mining is the main source of livelihood for the youth.
The registration exercise which involves training on responsible mining as well as the issuance of identification cards targets over 500 small-scale miners at the Wassa Amenfi East Municipality.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Ohene Gyan