The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker, has reiterated that the fight against illegal mining is a shared responsibility that must have the active participation of every Ghanaian.
According to the deputy minister, government’s vigorous campaign to end illegal small-scale mining would not yield the desired result if all stakeholders, including the lay Ghanaian, do not assume their role in the battle.
The deputy minister made this statement which seeks to reignite the sense of nationalism and patriotism of Ghanaians in the fight during an engagement with media practitioners and government communicators in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, April 4th, 2023.
The forum held in Kumasi was aimed at bringing the journalists and government communicators up to speed with the progress made by the government in the fight and also sensitize them on the important role they could play in the combat.
He thus gave an all-encompassing presentation on the battle against illegal mining from 2017 when the Nana Addo Dankwa-led administration assumed the reign of this country.
The deputy minister’s insightful presentation highlighted some interventions rolled out by government to sanitize the small-scale mining sector.
Among these interventions are organization of consultative dialogues, declaration of red zones, digitalization of small-scale mining licenses, commissioning of mercury free machines, acquisition of speedboats, activation of the Community Mining Scheme and recruitment of river wardens.
Hon. Mireku Duker reminded the trained communicators of their role as liaisons between the government and the general public, stating that they are to preach the commendable and instructive efforts and achievements by government and also criticized where necessary.
He also explained in detail the role of government in the fight so as to curb the situation where the ministry is mostly blamed for the ineffectiveness of some state institutions.
He demonstrated with examples that the government and Ministry’s core duty is formulating and implementing policies for the attainment of its objectives for the sector.
He reasoned that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and allied agencies have done an incredible job to facilitate the effective and smooth operation of security agencies involved in the fight.
He urged the communicators to provide accurate and truthful information to the public.
