Galamsey — sustainable perspective

The issue of galamsey (small-scale illegal mining) is not refractory. Indeed, the Akufo-Addo government has managed able to place the seeming intractable issue within a project management perspective, coming out with the Multi-Sectoral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP) — which remains a concept — with its associated Project Appraisal and Implementation Project (PAID) for implementation.

Problem

The problem is that government has moved into implementation rather ‘reluctantly’ and thereby has not been able to change the narrative to its positive advantage.

The Inter-ministerial Committee Against Illegal Mining should have exited once the so-called road map for sanitising the small-scale mining sector was approved.

The MMIP was then expected to have been launched and the PAID fully implemented. The government dithered on the MMIP, co-owned by key stakeholders including the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners through a critical validation workshop at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at Tarkwa.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources did not relent, succeeding in introducing the PAID to the World Bank (WB), culminating in the Ghana Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Formalisation Project (GASMFP).

This enabled the MLNR to utilise funds, as project preparation advance from the WB, setting up a secretariat located on the mezzanine floor of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PPMC); and conducting key baseline studies through competitive processes for take-off.

Baseline studies

There are over 12 baseline studies. However, of much interest is the need for geological investigation of blocked-out areas for small-scale mining before ‘concessions’ are allocated.

In the survey area (Dunkwa-on-Offin), inferred resources of modest alluvial and terrace placers have been identified.

The Au (gold) grade was below 0.2 g/m3, averaging to about 0.04 g/m3. The identified resource blocks cover an area of about 11.3 km2 and contain a total amount of approximately 380 kg fine Au.

Assuming a gold price of 60,000 USD/ kg, the average value of 1 m2 of block area is just about US$2.

The consultants, therefore, recommended to the government to focus exploration on hard rock gold mineralisation, indicating that for alluvial (placer gold), they do not recommend further exploration activities because of ‘low economy and serious environmental problems generated’.

Simply, alluvial mining is generally highly uneconomical and highly destructive of the environment! We therefore need a government policy on small-scale alluvial mining activities, moving forward.

Reclamation

Another valuable information is on reclamation. Monitoring of river-water discharge, as well as underground water, should be consistently checked because heavy metals (mercury and cyanide analysed) could possibly seep through embankment walls or even through the subsurface into groundwater and near river channels if tailings (the residue of the ore) and mined-out pits were not properly maintained or reengineered. 

Geotechnical work and soil analysis need to be conducted in areas earmarked for reclamation work in order to ascertain the geology (faults, shearing, bearing capacity of material) and mineralogy (gold, arsenic) within the subsurface.

Cost of reclamation per acre was modestly estimated at US$32,202 per acre!

National Consultative Dialogue

It is strange that with these baselines, the recent national consultative dialogues would not involve the dissemination of such valuable data and information to elicit a public appreciation that the government was on top of the issues and thereby changing the narrative.

Otherwise, the impression given is that we are trapped in a vicious circle, going back and forth and debating issues already known and covered?

So, what next? Since reclamation and rehabilitation of abandoned mine sites and mined-out areas within mining communities are going to be a capital-intensive exercise and there are tailings, the possibility of involving the private sector in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) arrangements are to be explored.

During the first national consultative dialogue, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, made a presentation, indicating the capabilities in country to partner government in this regard.

Other forms of reclamation, where there are no tailings, must, as far as practicable, be community owned spearheaded by the district chief executives (DCEs), chiefs, and involving the youths themselves.

For affected forest reserves, we do not have to exploit tailings.

Moreover, there is an urgent need for the recategorisation of mining in Ghana to include medium-scale mining in Ghana in order to formalise mechanised small-scale mining by upscaling the activities of some small-scale mining operations, helping to solve the environmental challenges of the sector; and bringing this in line with current global trends and practices.

This will also help provide differential support to the various categories of mining since they have varying needs. 

Foreign investment may be allowed at the medium-scale level in the long run. Intense stakeholder engagement (through the already developed stakeholder engagement plan) is sine qua non, requiring both Cabinet and Parliamentary approvals.

As a corollary, the government must, as a matter of urgency, launch the MMIP, applying the associated PAID aimed at eventually sanitising the ASM sector and formalising the illegal small-scale mining activities.

We need to create the Ghana Integrated Small-Scale Gold Development Corporation (GISGDEC) on the likes of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) or the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC), where the MMIP goals are to be internalised.

The writer, until recently, was the project coordinator of the GASMFP/GLRSSMP, MLNR, Accra. He is a fellow of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (FGhIS).

E-mail: drisaackarikari@yahoo.co.uk