The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural, George Mireku Ducker today led a team from the ministry on a day working visit to Shama District aimed at engage stakeholders in order to regularize the exploitation of industrial Minerals in the district.
The Minister’s delegation was received and led around the entire engagements by the Hon. Ebenezer Dadzie, Shama DCE and Hon. Samuel Ericsson Abekah, MP for Shama.
As part of the engagment the Minister paid a courtesy call on the Acting President of the Shama Traditional Council and Chief of Yabiw, Nana Kwamena Wienu II to seek his blessings & inform him of the visit’s intent to regularize clay mining in Shama.
Nana Kwamena Wienu II in his speech, made a passionate appeal, asking the Ministry to do all he can, to help them optimize gains in the exploitation of clay to the maximum benefit of the district in a responsible and sustainable manner.
The Acting Queen Mother of the Traditional Council and Queen mother of Nyankrom, Nana Gyanfuaba, thanked the ministry for embarking on such an important tour in Shama.
She went ahead to make a request for the the Ministry to help the stool to secure an office space for the Administrator of Stool Lands within the district.
The minister through his encounter with the District Security Council (DISEC) at the Shama District Assembly admonished them to exercise the full force of their powers to flush out illegal clay miners within the district.
“I urged you to support the course of the Ministry and the Government to regularize the Sand and Clay Mining Industry which is the major mining activity in the district” .
Hon Mireku Ducker also met with the Leadership of Sand, Clay and Quarry Operators where he adviced them to shy away from illegal exploitation of the mineral and access the necessary licenses to operate legally & responsibly.
Speaking about some of the numerous challenges faced by the district in licenses equition , deputy land and natural resource assured that -now that digital online application of mineral rights by the Minerals Commission will make acquisition of licenses very easy and faster.
“It was very worrying to realize that, almost all clay and sand mining activities in the Shama district are not licensed. Worse of it all, is that, registered tiles manufacturing companies in and around Shama are buying the illegal commodity.
The minister also charged the Miners, to as a matter of urgency, seek the necessary licenses and certifications to undertake their operations in comformance to the Minerals and Mining Act 2006, (Act 703) and its related regulations.
Responding to the Minister visit some of the miners said that this is the first time a Minister responsible for Mining has met them, and they are very committed to adhere to all procedures to Mine.
He visited some mined out areas at Daboase Junction was very appaling, seeing lands degraded without being reclaimed, which has flooded and led to some deaths.
He used the ocation to reiterated Government’s commitment of making mining attractive and outlined some interventions that has been rolled to curb illegal mining.
Mr Ducker seized the opportunity to inform the Miners of government’s efforts to support their operations through a Mineral Development Unit at the Agricultural Development Bank in the interim. He added that with time the influx of foreigner participanting in small scale mining
“This step, is to help mitigate the influx of Foreign Nationals in the small-scale mining architecture through financing models”.
The visiting Minister finally shared government commitment to
liase with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to help convert the abandoned mined pits into Fish ponds, which will help
minimize the dangers that these pits impose on the community. “This in my view, will help create an alternative Livelihood for the teeming youth”.
The minister in his vote of thanks appreciated and acknowledged the presence of Deputy CEOs of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Samuel Tika and Ms. Shirley Kyei, Mr. Peter Awuah, Technical Director of Mines and other officials who accompanied me on the tour.
