The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. George Mireku Duker, has said the first ever Small Scale Mining Awards Scheme would be held in Accra tomorrow to encourage and honor people doing responsible mining and adhering to health, safety and environmental standards.
This awards scheme, he said, is a mechanism instituted by government to help sanitize the Small Scale Mining Sector.
“As I speak, South Africa, Sudan and many mining dominated countries are coming to our ministry to learn how we are managing our small scale mining sector which is encouraging enough”.
The Deputy Lands Minister made this known in an interview with The New Crusading GUIDE in Accra. The awards night he said, is slated for 22 December, 2021 in Accra, and called on everyone to attend.
He said rewarding Responsible Small scale Miners would help in the fight against illegal mining. He said geological analysis and demarcation, which are currently underway are being done to determine the most suitable sites for Artisanal and Small Scale Mining.
“First of all, the passion of H.E. the President has been to have mining a sector that gives the country a comparative advantage. This should be done in a responsible way and the benefits would be shared equitably among stakeholders”, he stated.
The awards categories include Over All Best Small Scale Miner, Most Promising Small scale Miner, Best Female Small Scale Miner, Best Male Small Scale Miner, Best Environmental Stewardship and Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
As a primary criterion all Miners’ award winners should have valid permit with relevant laws, good records keeping, good environmental Stewardship, good financial management, good health and safety practices, CSR concurrent reclamation, good water management, sanitation and housekeeping etc.
An award would be given to Best District Officer of the Mineral Commission.
