Samuel Osei Bekoe, Executive Director of the Center for Extractives and Development, Africa, has disclosed that the Minerals Commission has no authority to license any small-scale miner to operate in water bodies or forest reserves.
Speaking on Joy News on Tuesday, February 25, he emphasized that any small-scale mining activity conducted under a licence from the Minerals Commission in these areas is illegal and must be dealt with accordingly.
The Minerals Commission, a key player in the sector, is a government agency responsible for developing and coordinating mineral sector policies and overseeing their implementation.
Samuel Osei Bekoe’s demand for dealing with small-scale miners under the licence of the mineral commission comes in the wake of the environmental threat caused by illegal mining. The activity known as galamsey has been a major environmental and socio-economic issue in Ghana, leading to severe degradation of water bodies and forest reserves.
Despite numerous efforts by the government, including military interventions and regulatory crackdowns, illegal miners continue to operate, posing a significant threat to the country’s natural resources and livelihoods.
Based on these illegalities of the operation, Bekoe further called for urgent government intervention to protect water bodies and forest reserves.
“The Minerals Commission does not have any right to issue a licence for small-scale mining in water bodies or forest reserves. This means that anyone operating in these areas as a small-scale miner is doing so illegally. That is why we are calling for a state of emergency on the water bodies and forest reserves,” he stated.