The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has assured miners and mining communities in Ghana that he has well-thought-out policies, which he plans to implement as President, to promote beneficial and responsible mining across the country.
At the start of his Ashanti Regional tour on Monday in Atwima Mponua, a mining community, Dr Bawumia expressed his commitment to empowering miners to become millionaires through responsible mining. He aims to achieve this by introducing game-changing policies, including a new licensing regime involving traditional rulers, community mining schemes, the establishment of a mining development bank to finance miners for purchasing responsible mining equipment, and involving the geological survey department for accurate mapping.
“I want you to be millionaires through responsible mining, so we will license you, formalise you, regularise you, and supervise you,” Dr Bawumia said, explaining that traditional rulers from mining communities will be engaged in the licensing regime.
“I am also going to establish the Minerals Development Bank, which will be a bank for small-scale miners, enabling them to obtain the right equipment for responsible mining.
“We are also going to introduce a community mining scheme, and we will involve the geological survey department to ensure mining is conducted accurately in appropriate locations. The geological survey department will come to mining areas to determine the precise locations of gold deposits, preventing the trial-and-error approach that often leads to land degradation.”
“We will use mapping to help you identify where the gold is, ensuring responsible mining in every mining community.”
Dr Bawumia further assured that part of his approach to responsible mining would involve curbing the use of mercury, which will be replaced by mercury-free gold catcher machines.
“We will not destroy the environment, and to achieve this, we will provide mercury-free gold catcher machines so that everyone can benefit,” Dr Bawumia said, amid cheers from mining representatives who participated in his stakeholder engagement in the Atwima Mponua Constituency.
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