To protect the remainder of Ghana's natural heritage from the illegal activities of the gold mining sector's small-scale miners, the government must ban the use of excavators and other heavy equipment by that category of miners.
Clearly, there is nothing small-scale about the destruction wrought by these machines. Using excavators is mining on an industrial scale. Period.
It is now obvious that after the initial disarray in their ranks - because of the widespread support across the nation for President Akufo-Addo's war against illegal gold mining - players in the small-scale mining sector are now regrouping and fighting back: to preserve the lucrative and mostly-criminal businesses they run.
I describe their businesses as mostly-criminal enterprises, because unlike most Ghanaian journalists today, I happen to have battled with that perfidious lot, since the late 90s.
As a result of the invasion of part of my family's freehold 14-square mile Atewa Range upland evergreen rainforest property at Akyem Juaso, by illegal loggers, illegal gold miners and hunters over that timespan, I have gained intimate knowledge of an industry in which the use of intimidation, bribery and fraudulent documentation to obtain 'mining concessions' is widespread. Bribery and its handmaiden corruption underpin all their businesses' dealings with regulators.
In light of that personal experience, my humble advice to the leaderships of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the Ghana Police Service (GhPS) - if they do not want the all-important task assigned to them to fall into disrepute from the half-truths, propaganda and fake news spread by agents of small-scale gold miners - is to embed seasoned media professionals in all the mixed military and police teams carrying out Operation Vanguard operations on Ghanaian society's behalf.
We must not allow the very people whose activities pose a threat to our nation's future - at a time when global climate change is negatively impacting the Ghanaian countryside - to demoralise those soldiers and policemen risking their lives daily carrying out Operation Vanguard anti-galamsey raids: by the use of fake news and half-truths spread on media platforms by their paid lackeys.
Although regretable if true, I have no doubt that if the paper work that enabled the Akyem Kwabeng small-scale gold miner - whose two excavators were allegedly burnt by an Operation Vanguard team apparently out of frustration with the hide-and-seek games that company was playing with the said Operation Vanguard team - to obtain his concession are examined closely by the national security ministry, its fraudulent nature will immediately become apparent to the whole nation.
And doubtless the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) document covering its operational area will make interesting reading. Pure fiction, no doubt. Unquestionably.
Furtheremore, it has also been widely reported by the Ghanaian media that Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) verbally-aggressive chairperson in the Ashanti Region, has asked all the small-scale miners whose excavators have been partially burnt by sundry Operation Vanguard teams, to take the government to court in a class action suit. Interesting. He would, wouldn't he?
Perhaps it escapes the very clever Bernard Antwi-Boasiako that there are discerning Ghanaians who might conclude that he hopes a verdict in favour of those small-scale gold miners awarding them compensatory damages - against the state - will set a precedent that will enable him to finally publicly demand same too for his own court case's outcome (concerning his Hansol mining company's excavators damaged in similar circumstances years ago) without it generating outrage across the country? Pure genius.
The question is: Does the latest amendment to the Mining Act not prescribe seizure of those excavators by the state - implying automatic transfer of ownership to the Republic of Ghana? So what if agents of the new owners of those self-same excavators (apparently out of frustration) choose to burn them: unfortunate and undesirable though that is?
To buttress our point about the fraudulent way most small-scale miners 'obtain' their 'concessions' we have culled and posted a Citifmonline.com news story that is a classic example of the criminal nature of most of the operations of small-scale gold miners in Ghana.
What the government ought to do to halt the apocalyptic destruction of the natural environment that threatens the very existence - and quality of life - of present and future generations of our people is to simply ban the use of excavators and other heavy equipment by small-scale miners in Ghana. Simple. Full stop.
If Thailand earned U.S.$72 billion from the 31 million visitors it hosted last year (2016), does it not make sense for Ghanaians to preserve what is left of our nation's priceless natural heritage and anchor a revitalised tourism industry on it - to generate wealth that stays in Ghana and jobs galore for millions of young people nationwide: instead of allowing selfish and thoroughly dishonest gold miners, illegal loggers and illegal sand-winners to destroy it? Haaba.
The aforementioned culled Citifmonline.com story follows below.
Please read on:
"Amewu ‘grills’ Minerals Commission boss over mining licenses
Monday, April 24, 2017 7:29 am
Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubynn
Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubynn
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Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu could not come to terms with the explanation provided by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubyn over a prospecting license given to Okobeng Mining, a small scale mining company operating in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region.
Okobeng Mining, despite the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry directive to halt all small scale mining activities across the country, was seen mining for gold few meters away from the Ankobra River, with a prospecting license at Dwira Dominase in Nzema East Municipal.
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Visibly worried, Mr. Amewu, who was leading a high powered government delegation on a two-day visit to some mining sites in the Western Region, questioned the Minerals Commission’s boss Dr. Aubyn about the company’s permit.
Mr. Amewu was shocked to have realized that, the company was mining for gold reserves with a prospecting license.
He bemoaned that “this company has finished mining already and are doing an alleged reclamation with a license that does not allow them to even mine.”
He asked Mr. Aubyn “who gave these people given their prospecting license to operate last two months without my notice? I have been the minister for the past five months, this license was issued last two months, how did it happen without my knowledge?”
Mr. Aubyn suggested that the matter be addressed when the team returns to Accra “because, whichever way it is, it must have been signed by a minster. It could have been signed by the former sector minister”.
But Mr. Amewu insisted he gets to the bottom of the issue by inquiring from the representatives of Okobeng Mining who were present at the site.
amewu-at-mining-site-4
Mr. Amewu during the tour
He asked one of the site managers, “when did you start working?” After the site manager answered saying, they started mining at the area three months ago, Mr. Amewu asked Dr. Aubyn again of who gave the company the prospecting license to the company.
After he was dissatisfied with his submissions, Mr Amewu directed that “every operation ongoing on the site be seized. He also directed that executives of the company be summoned to Accra to answer questions.
The violation Mr. Amewu expected the Minerals Commission boss to have prevented was the fact that the company had already finished mining at an area where his working permits allowed him to only prospect for gold.
He also questioned the commission on why mining had taken place at the company’s site in less than 30 meters to the main Ankobra River.
He thus ordered the demolition of a security post mounted by 2 ex-service men.
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo & Kojo Agyemang/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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End of culled webpage containing Citi FM news story by Obrempong Yaw Ampofo and Kojo Agyemang of Citifmonline.com/Ghana.
That story speaks volumes about the perfidy of most small-scale miners - and illustrates perfectly why Ghanaians must not sympathise with those selfish and super-greedy individuals who don't care one jot about the effects of their destructive activities on the natural environment and on their fellow humans.
Ghanaian society frowns on armed robbery - regarded as lucrative work by some - for good reason. Let us end the nonsense about small-scale gold miners creating jobs too. They are only creating health problems for thousands of desperately poor and vulnerable people who will eventually end up with various cancers.
We must treat illegal gold miners and small-scale gold miners deploying excavators with the same disdain reserved for armed robbers in Ghana and elsewhere in the world. The government must ban the use of excavators and other heavy equipment by small-scale gold miners in Ghana. Enough is enough.
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