Set aside funds for land reclamation — Deputy Minister to small-scale miners

Small-scale miners operating under the Responsible Cooperative Mining programme have been urged to set aside part of their earnings to reclaim lands degraded by their activities.

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, made the call at the inauguration of the Ahanta West/Mpohor Fiase Responsible Cooperative Mining Society at Anwunakrom in the Western Region.

He said the directive is part of government’s push to promote responsible mining, protect the environment and restore degraded lands.

The cooperative, described as the first joint mining operation between the two areas, forms part of efforts to fight illegal mining by bringing willing small-scale miners into lawful operations.

Hon. Sulemana explained that even miners who stay away from river bodies and forest reserves still degrade land through excavation, and must therefore plan for its restoration.

Under the programme’s guidelines, miners are required to set aside funds for reclamation, with the amount determined by their level of production.

He said government inherited heavily polluted rivers and threatened forest reserves as a result of illegal mining, and is now working to provide miners with permits, certificates and technical support for sustainable operations.

The Ministry, he added, is working with the Forestry Commission to supply seedlings and planting materials to support the restoration of mined-out areas.

Government is targeting the registration of at least 50 responsible cooperative mining groups by the end of the year, he disclosed.