Only five of the 16 small-scale mining operators under government’s Community Mining Scheme (CMS) have been issued with the requisite environmental permits to operate.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revelation means a majority of operators are working in contravention of the country’s mining regulations.
It said as part of the processes to be granted a licence to operate a mine, it is required that applicants secure environmental permits as per the Environmental Assessment Regulations 1999.
The EPA however indicated that this is being flouted by some Community Mining Schemes.
The Environmental Assessment Regulations 1999 enjoin individuals seeking to commence activities in respect of any undertaking which in the Agency’s opinion has or is likely to hurt the environment or public health, to register with the Agency in respect of the undertaking.
But the Ag. Director-Mining Department, EPA, Justine Shirley Seyire Dzradza, revealed that while CMS are categorised as small-scale mines, the Agency has only issued permits to about five out of a total 16 schemes.
Mrs. Seyire Dzradza said EPA regulates small-scale mining, and clarified that CMS is group mining and that the licences granted specify all of them as small-scale mines.
She spoke during the ‘Extractives Industry Resource Governance Summer School 2023’, and further noted that some illegal miners could also mount signboards or billboards posing as CMS.
The CMS initiative instituted by government is meant as an alternative to the illegal ‘galamsey’ mining activities in the country.
Under the programme, community miners that hitherto were engaged in illegal mining activities have been trained at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at Tarkwa to embrace responsible mining.
At its introduction, President Nana Akufo-Addo pointed out that Ghana from ages past has been known for its mineral prowess: “Mining activities have always been with us, but they need to be done in an environmentally friendly manner”.
He explained that the CMS programme will ensure that mining is done the right way, within the tenets of the law and does not destroy our natural resources.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has also said this approach ensures safe mining operations, environmental protection as well as reclamation of land after mining operations.
The ministry, he said, has been working with all the relevant agencies, including the Minerals Commission, to expand the scheme.
“Between my office and the Minerals Commission, we are going to make sure that we expand community mining in Ghana – to protect the environment and also offer more employment to the youth,” he said.
The minister also said: “We are insisting that mining should be done in a regulated manner to help protect the environment, just like what is being done at this site. We, as a government, have no space for illegal mining”.
The ‘Extractives Industry Resource Governance Summer School 2023’ was organised by Accountability and Resource Governance of the Governance for Inclusive Development (GovID) under Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The week-long programme brought together stakeholders from the extractive sector including the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), Petroleum Commission and the Ministry of Energy.
Others included the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), Ghana Audit Service, think-tanks, civil society groups and media among others.
