Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has called for small-scale miners to be required to restore lands degraded by their activities once mining operations are completed.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, Mr Ayariga said stronger monitoring and enforcement were needed to ensure mining activities are carried out responsibly and within the law.
He proposed increased investment in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission to strengthen their capacity to monitor mining operations across the country.
“Let’s invest in EPA and have a lot of people at the EPA, let’s invest in the Minerals Commission and have a lot of mining engineers who identify every district and every single space where mining activity is taking place,” he said.
According to Mr Ayariga, improved monitoring would enable authorities to identify mining activities, ensure operators comply with regulations and hold them accountable for environmental damage.
He stressed that miners should bear responsibility for restoring lands affected by their operations.
“Whoever that carries out that activity will reclaim the area and plant and make sure that they restore the area to what it was,” he said.
Mr Ayariga said the approach would combine effective regulation with land reclamation and environmental restoration to minimise the long-term impact of mining on communities and the environment.
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