Weigh bridges to be installed in W/Region to track exportation of minerals

The government has ordered the installation of weigh bridges at vantage points along highways that connect mining sites to the Takoradi Harbour in the Western Region.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, who made this known, said the move was to track the quantities of minerals that are exported from that part of the country.

He said the decision had become necessary following the outcome of an ongoing financial and technical audit of all mining companies, which reveals that the country was being short-changed by some of the companies.

Taking his turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra on Wednesday, the minister said a marine surveyor had also been engaged at the Takoradi Harbour to ensure that the right tonnage of mineral ore was recorded before exportation.

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Audit
The financial and technical audit of mining companies started last year after the immediate past Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr John-Peter Amewu, had raised an alarm over how some mining entities were using unfair scales to short-change the country, leading to revenue losses.

One such audit was conducted on the Ghana Manganese Company (GMC), located at Nsuta in the Western Region, and it revealed that some GH¢1.94 billion had been lost through underhand dealings.

Among the infractions cited in the investigative report was that the GMC had exported more manganese ore than it had recorded in its books.

The company, however, disputed the figures that were put out by Mr Asomah-Cheremeh, insisting that it had paid the required revenue to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Following the controversy, the GMC was banned from exporting ore, but the ban had since been lifted and a 10-member committee set up to probe its activities.

The minister said the committee had submitted its report to the government and that the report was currently being reviewed for appropriate actions.

Enforcement of laws

Mr Asomah-Cheremeh said given the huge contribution of the mining industry to the national economy, the government would police activities in the sector to ensure that its maximum potential was harnessed.

Figures from the GRA show that the authority had so far collected GH¢1.3 billion, representing 17 per cent of total revenue mobilised in 2019.

This reflects an increase of 39 per cent in the sector’s contribution to government revenue, relative to the GH¢980 million contributed in 2018.

Additionally, $3.3 billion has been generated by the mining sector this year as export earnings, compared to the $3 billion generated over the same period in 2018, making mining a major forex earner for Ghana.

The minister said improvement in mining sector revenue was partly the result of proper monitoring regimes and improved supervision by state agencies.

‘Galamsey’

On small-scale mining, the minister warned of a crackdown on all persons who were still complicit in illegal mining, popularly called galamsey.

“I can announce that we have achieved 85 per cent victory in curbing the galamsey menace over the last two years, but I must admit that there were some security officers who had been to the grounds to assist in combating the canker but who ended up doing otherwise. There are also some chiefs who are complicit in this particular canker and, therefore, making it difficult to achieve the ultimate target of eradicating it.

“Those who think they can go behind the door to work illegally must know that the law exists and will catch up with them ruthlessly,” he added.

Mining Act
He said the coming into force of the new Minerals and Mining Amendment Act, 2015 (Act 900) that reviewed upwards sanctions for illegal miners had demonstrated that the government was ready to crack the whip on illegal operators in the small-scale mining sector.
The new law provides that anyone found to have engaged in galamsey will serve a prison term of between 15 and 25 years, be fined 10,000 to 15,000 penalty units (GH¢12 per unit) or both.
Mr Asomah-Cheremeh said as part of efforts to ensure sustainable mining in the country, the government would launch a multi-sectoral mining integrated programme (MMIP) document on September 17, this year.
He said the MMIP would outline policy initiatives and strategies to address challenges in the small-scale mining sector and facilitate sustainable mining.