18-Member mining sector review committee inaugurated

The government has set up an 18-member committee to review the licensing regime and processes within the country’s mining sector and propose strategic approaches to safeguard the environment.

The multi-stakeholder committee is also expected "to review operations of mining in forest reserves, identify best practices of mining operations, and propose approaches to halting mining in rivers".

Additionally, the committee is required to make recommendations for the development of a comprehensive strategy to address mining challenges, as well as put forward any other issues they identify.

The ministers of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, who jointly inaugurated the committee in Accra yesterday, urged members to work diligently to help halt environmental crimes. 

Composition

The committee, which is chaired by Prof. Martin Oteng-Ababio of the Department of Geography and Resource Development of the University of Ghana, comprises related agencies in the environment and mining space, traditional rulers and academia.
State institutions which have representation on the committee are the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources; MEST; the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice; the

Forestry Commission; the Lands Commission; the Minerals Commission, and the Water Resources Commission.

Others are the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA); the Chief of Defence Staff; the Ghana Police Service; the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA), and the National House of Chiefs (NHC).

The rest are the Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM), the Ghana National Association of Small-scale Miners (GNASSM) and the Centre for Extractive Development, Africa.

Prominent members such as the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Martin Ayisi, are also members.

Prof. Oteng-Ababio pledged the commitment of the committee to do a good job to help protect the environment.

Diligence

Mr Buah urged the committee to work diligently to produce a report that would comprehensively deal with the challenges in the mining sector.

He said it was worrying that although the country's mining sector contributed significantly to economic growth, it was faced with various challenges, including severe environmental degradation, illegal mining, devastation of forest reserves, heavy pollution of water bodies and other irregularities.

The minister gave an assurance that as part of the government's Reset Agenda, proactive steps would be taken to promote responsible mining for sustainable development and also restore polluted water bodies and devastated forest reserves.

"The objective of this committee is to review the current state of the mining sector and provide recommendations to reform and sanitise the sector to contribute to the country's sustainable development," he added.

The minister of MEST also urged members of the committee to consider their work as a blueprint to sanitise the mining and environment space.

He said that given that illegal mining was a hydra-headed development challenge, it was important for all citizens to get involved in interventions aimed at addressing it.

“Galamsey is a complex problem so we need collective responsibility to deal with it. We cannot fight this menace in silos; so we must all get involved and fight it in the interest of the nation,” the minister said.

He admonished faith-based organisations to use their platforms to create awareness by educating their followers on the need to join the national fight against galamsey to protect the environment.

Assurance

For his part, Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II assured the ministers that the committee would work diligently to deliver on its mandate.

He said the National House of Chiefs would support all efforts being made by the government to deal with environmental challenges.

“As custodians of the land, we see the move by the government complementing the duties we are supposed to play to protect our environment.

We will collaborate to achieve this goal,” the chief said.