The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, has called on the Minerals Commission to refrain from granting licences to small-scale miners who do not possess geological data confirming the mineral potential of their intended mining sites.
According to him, the lack of such critical data often results in unregulated and destructive mining practices, posing serious threats to the environment.
Speaking at the opening of a six-day DAAD Alumni Seminar in Takoradi, themed “Responsible Artisanal and Industrial Miners in Africa,” Dr. Ashigbey stressed that mining operations must be guided by sound geological information to ensure sustainability.
“The Minerals Commission should not process any licence where the mineralisation of an area is not sufficient to support profitable mining activity,” he said.
He further recommended that Ghana emulate best practices from other countries by empowering the Geological Survey Authority to carry out mineral exploration and make the data accessible to small-scale miners, at a fee, to promote responsible and environmentally friendly mining.
Source: AdomOnline
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