The Lands and Natural Resources Minister-designate, Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, has asserted firmly that his objective is to work to achieve the President’s goal of ensuring a viable, sustainable and regulated small scale mining sector in Ghana.
According to Mr Jinapor, the only way to stop illegal mining is to regulate every aspect of it.
“Mr. Chairman, I respectfully hold the considered view that the only route to sanitising the small scale mining sector is to regulate every aspect of its operations. Community mining, as a mining scheme, can help us attain the goal of viable, sustainable and regulated small scale mining industry in Ghana.”
He gave this indication when he took his turn before the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday.
Mr Jinapor said a regulated, sustainable, and robust small scale mining, which has regard for the protection of the environment and water bodies in our country, will be his overarching objective.
He spoke about the need to put together a framework to promote large scale mining, as well as enhance investment in exploration in Ghana indicating that Ghanaian indigenous participation in large scale mining was a major priority for him.
He committed to work with all stakeholders with the view to achieving the overarching vision of the President in building here in Ghana a viable, sustainable and booming mining industry for the benefit of the Ghanaian people.
He further called for a national debate on the structure of Ghanaian mining industry to deliberate on whether or not it will be useful to have a medium scale sector, which will permit foreigners to participate if they invested a certain minimum capital. He referred to a position paper by the World Bank’s artisanal and small scale formalisation project, which advocated for the introduction of a medium scale mining sector in Ghana.
Responding to questions on whether or not the President lost the fight against illegal mining, the Minister-designate said that the President should rather be commended for that bold initiative.
He said that there are bound to be people who will always frustrate government initiatives and projects, and it happens everywhere.
He said the President is still committed to curbing the menace of illegal mining, and when he is approved as the sector minister, will augment the government’s effort by enforcing the laws without fear or favour.
Response on supposed 500 confiscated excavators
The Minister-designate also charged the opportunity to clear the mist surrounding some 500 missing excavators during the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
Mr Jinapor stated clearly that the excavators that were seized were 209 and not 500.
He said these figures were given to him by the Inter- Inter-Ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining (IMCIM), a body which took part in the fight against illegal mining.
He indicated that the figure 500 was just one that was made up by media personnel.
“I have had a briefing from the IMCM, and I want to put it on record based on the briefing they have given me, and the documentation they have given me, that there were no 500 excavators missing. They were very emphatic about it. They are told that it’s a media man who put it out there, and that became the number that everybody referred to. According to the figures that they gave me, they confiscated 209 excavators.”
Mr Jinapor sought to clarify the issue after Mr Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu and a member of the Appointment Committee, asked him to tell the committee the whereabouts of the excavators, as well as some 2,779 weapons and ammunition, and 4,045 mining equipment that were also confiscated.
The Akufo-Addo-led government, upon assuming office in 2017, instituted the Inter-Ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining and Operation Vanguard to stop illegal mining activities in the country which had contributed to the depletion of the vegetative cover and water bodies, including the Ankobra and Densu rivers.
The taskforce was granted the mandate to drive out and arrest illegal miners across the country. In the discharge of their mandate, media reports had it that some 500 excavators, which were seized, were nowhere to be found.
Responding to questions on the whereabouts of the 209 excavators, the Minister-designate indicated that out of the total number, 161 had been accounted for. He said some were given to the National Disaster Management Organisation, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, and some were also returned to the owners.
“According to the figures that they gave me, they confiscated 209 excavators, and they are able to account as we speak, 161. We have those that were given to NADMO, KMA, AMA and those which court ordered to return to their original owners. All of them have been spelt out here. So this is the answer that I will give.”
Mr Jinapor could, however, not respond to the whereabouts of the 2,779 weapons and ammunition and 4,045 mining equipments seized by the taskforce. He said that he will furnish the House with ull reports on the whereabouts of the weapons and equipment when he is approved by the House to take charge of that office.
Response on harvesting of Rosewood
Aside the war waged against illegal mining, the country also had to deal with issues of illegal trading of rosewood.
The Minister was, therefore, questioned on interventions he would put in place to put a stop to the menace.
According to the Minister-designate, the reason government has placed a ban on the harvesting of Rosewood is not because it’s illegal to harvest it, but due to the manner in which it was being harvested.
The Minister-designate explained that Rosewood, according to the Convention on International Trade in endangered species, of which Ghana is a party, is a species that can be harvested, traded and exported.
However, the rate at which it was being harvested wasn’t sustainable, hence the ban on it, the Minister-designate said.
“Ghana is a state party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The convention is such that there are three categorisation of species. They categorised them into Appendix One, Appendix Two and Appendix Three. If a species is placed under Appendix one, then it cannot be harvested, traded and exported. If it’s Appendix Two, then specie can be traded, but in a regulated framework, and if it is placed in Appendix three, then it can be harvested, traded and exported freely.
Rosewood is placed in Appendix Two specie, which means the Government of Ghana can allow the harvesting, trading and exportation of Rosewood in a regulated fashion. The government of the day felt that the rate at which Rosewood was being harvested was not sustainable, and, therefore, the government put a temporal ban on the harvesting, trading in and exportation. So this is where we are; there is a ban.”
Outlining interventions to deal with the situation, the Minister-designate said that when he gets the nod, he will liaise with Forestry Commission to fashion out a policy to deal with the situation.
He also indicated that though there is a ban, some people are still trading in the wood secretly, hence, there is the need to enforce the laws.
He continued that the Forestry Commission should also be made to undertake some audit to ascertain how many of the Rosewood species are left. He said this will also help the government to plan and invest in a plantation scheme to sustain the Rosewood species. He added that country should also look at other ways of adding value to the wood in order to get more foreign exchange when it’s exported.
The post Sustainable and regulated small scale mining is assured -Jinapor declares appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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