Small Scale Miners Association of Ghana has pleaded to the government to hear their grievances as there is no available job that can substitute their jobs are miners.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has placed a ban on small scale mining and therefore prevented them to function effectively. Kwabena Boakye, Director, E&M Small Scale Mining pleaded with the government that, operators of small scale miners have spent huge sums of money on buying machines and other tools that enabled them to work as miners and therefore has run at a complete loss since the ban was put on their operations.
“Many of the legal small scale miners have not patronized the Alternative Livelihood Support. We’ve spent thousands of dollars on machines. Imaging spending as much as thirty thousand dollars on a machine and after everything you’ve been through, you’re being asked to go and farm. How can you repay your debts? Some of us deal with banks and as we speak we owe the banks who are on our necks now for their monies. We have some of our members who have taken drugs and have died because they couldn’t pay their debt and could not stand the pressure coming from their Creditors. The focus is on the lifting on the ban and not the alternative livelihood support.” He said in an interview with Francis Abban on Starr FM.
He also said that, the association has been working with the inter-ministerial in charge of mining even though they have not clearly assured them on as to when the ban will be lifted. According to him, nine (9) ministries including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been on board as they are still on the road to lifting the ban.
However, the association has been working hand in hand with Operation Vanguard since the ban was imposed on them.
“We’ve been able to help Operation Vanguard to arrest some illegal miners. We’ve been doing a lot since the imposition of the ban. Most Ghanaians can testify that our water bodies are becoming clearer.” He said.
BY: Elikem Prince Akoenyenu
