Small Scale Miners in the Upper West Region have asked government to assign to them six concessions to enable them to be in operations.
The concessions include Jirapa Duori in the Jirapa Municipality; Tokpo in the Nadowli-Kaleo District; Duu in the Wa East District; Tangasie-Kyerekpong in the Nadowli-Kaleo District; Danyaokura, in the Wa East District, and Nyagli in the Wa Municipality.
General Secretary of the Upper West Regional Association of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, Abdul-Wahab Jamal Sessay, said those concessions are high-grade areas that would make them productive.
At a meeting with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources at Wa in the Upper West region, Mr Sessay said despite receiving training on small-scale mining, members of the Association are still struggling to acquire the needed licenses.
He said the association is challenged with the closure of its operational areas, resulting in many youth becoming unemployed.
He said the situation had hampered economic and social activities in the region saying “times are hard and do not want further hardship beyond where we stand at the moment.”
He noted that the group would institute a system to ensure that production of gold would be monitored, channel at least not less than 50 percent through the Precious Mineral Marketing Company (PMMC) by the opening of their offices or buying agencies at all the points.
“We have also planned to ensure an effective and efficient tax system at all the areas. We are ready to comply with all important and necessary rules and norms by Government.”
Sector Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, asked the Small-Scale Miners to engage in regular peer regulation to help bring sanity in the sector. He said the Minerals Commission would, within two weeks, engage the leadership of the Association to find amicable resolutions to their concerns.
The Minister further called for stronger ties among members of the association and courted their cooperation and support for the development of the mining industry in the region.
By: Felix Cofie.
