Small-scale miners in the Ahafo Region have blamed delays in the issuance of mining licences on the government for pushing some prospective miners into illegal mining.
The miners say the lengthy licensing process makes it difficult for people willing to operate responsibly to obtain the necessary authorisation to undertake their activities legally.
Speaking on behalf of the group at a mining forum organised by the Nature and Development Foundation in Goaso, Derrick Boateng called on the government to expedite the process to reduce the incentive for illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He argued that making licences available on time would encourage prospective miners to operate within the law rather than resort to unauthorised mining.
Mr Boateng also urged the government to keep politics out of the Responsible Cooperative Mining Programme, stressing that a non-partisan approach was necessary for the initiative to succeed.
He cited the previous government’s small-scale mining initiative, which he said became overly politicised and failed to achieve its intended objectives.
He called on the current administration to learn from those challenges and ensure that the Responsible Cooperative Mining Programme is implemented effectively to support responsible mining and help tackle galamsey.
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