The General Manager of Tarkwa Community Mines Mr. Mark Diamond Aduhene has released a statement to highly commend the Vice President and Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamudu Dawumia for what he (Mr. Aduhene) described as a well thought out policy document on Small Scale Mining during the Flagbearer’s lecture last Wednesday to outline his vision for Ghana.
He said, over the years, Small Scale Miners have been demonized by successive governments by lumping them together with ‘galamseyers’ but through the NPP government and the able leadership of the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) in charge of mines Hon. George Mireku Duker, they have introduced a structured small scale mining scheme called the Community Mining and that makes them feel proud to be associated with their sector now.
Mr. Aduehen stated that they received Vice President Bawumia’s policy document on Small Scale Mining (SSM) with joy, particularly the aspect where he(Dr. Bawumia) said his government is going to support small scale mining with equipment and funding to uplift most community miners or small scale miners from the level of small scale mining to large scale.
He emphasized, “I think it’s very laudable because funding is the major problem we face as small-scale miners and that’s why foreigners with financial muscle are taking over our space with all forms of bad industry practices leading to pollution of water bodies and indiscriminate felling of trees when in fact the sector is solely meant for indigenes.”
Again, Mr. Aduhene stated that Dr. Bawumia’s promise to talk to the Chamber of Mines to cede or give out some of the abandoned shafts by the large-scale miners to create more community mining “is refreshing and a welcoming move because Tarkwa Community Mining alone employs over 5000 men and women and yet there are still substantial number of youth who are still not employed in the various communities.”
He said, “in that regard I think we can increase the numbers and reduce unemployment whilst it also affords us good enough space to work under safe environment and at the same time reduce the galamsey menace”.
The General manager stressed that given all what the Vice President had outlined and promised “we the small-scale miners don’t have any choice than to hail him and rally behind him so that we can continue to enjoy government support”.
“I strongly believe in Dr. Bawumia’s promise to us because the NPP government has demonstrated that they have small scale miner’s interest at heart and so all of us in Tarkwa, a typical mining community are solidly behind the Flgabearer and we will support him to get the nod so that small scale mining/community mining will regain its status and respect”.
