The Ban On Small-Scale Gold Mining Must Be Maintained And Vigorously Enforced

It appears that the coordinated efforts by the small-scale gold mining lobby - to negate our nation's fight against egregious environmental degradation and the destruction of valuable ecosystems caused by players in the sector generally - is beginning to yield some results.

However, environmental activists in Ghana ought to ensure that the super-wealthy and ruthless crooks, who participated in the brutal gang-rape of Mother Nature in the past, are not allowed to do so again. If we allow their greed for gold to ruin the quality of life of future generations, why should God not curse today's generations of  Ghanaians?

That is why Ghana's environmental activists must insist that the gold standard for the auditing process now underway - to vet small-scale gold miners  across the nation - must be the #Extent-Cubic-Group-playbook used to deprive that company of the mining rights it hithereto thought it had legally acquired in  the Atewa forest reserve and at Nyinahin. Nothing else will do. Full stop.

The question is: Is it not an open secret that virtually all mining permits or licences obtained by gold mining companies in Ghana - whatever sector category they fit into - were invariably obtained by corrupting rogue officials in  the industry's regulatory bodies and through collusion with  greedy and powerful politicians (in it for kickback-opportunities)? Haaba.

Food for thought and a cautionary tale for the Hon. Kwabena Frimpong- Boateng - one of the few sincere and principled politicians  in Ghana - who heads the inter-ministerial committee on galamsey/small-scale mining: When I read the environmental impact assessment document used by Solar Mining Company to obtain Kibi Goldfields' (into which it had then reversed for strategic reasons to enable it escape prosecution for its illegal mining activities) permits and licences years ago, I actually wept.

The land it claimed was degraded in that work of pure fiction  was in fact virgin forest that had evolved over millions of years and was part of a designated Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA). I have photographs to prove it. What took millennia to evolve was laid to waste by 32-tonne excavators in a few hours - which is why no small-scale (or medium-scale) gold miners must be allowed to use excavators in Ghana. Ever.

As it happens, my family owns 14-square miles of the Akyem Juaso section of the Atewa Range's upland evergreen rainforest's heavily-wooded slopes on a freehold basis - and some of it borders the Kibi Goldfields concession. As we speak a tailings pond has been breached and highly toxic material is flowing into and polluting the Akoosu stream which borders some of  our land.

Meanwhile officialdom has adopted a three-wise-monkeys approach - and those in the industry's regulatory bodies to whom that abomination  has been reported see, hear,  say and do nought. Such is life in our patch of Trumpomanialand where fat-brown-envelopes rule OK and decide everything.

The  crimes against humanity and Mother Nature committed by small-scale gold miners such as the once-powerful promoters of Solar Mining Company - who effectively took control of Kibi Goldfields at a point in time to cloak their lawlessness and get away with it - are legion.  There is no such thing as an honest small-scale gold miner. To look for one is akin to looking for a virtuous prostitute - a fruitless, pointless and thankless task.

The plain truth is that almost every small-scale gold mining company in Ghana uses the same destructive closed-loop template deployed by Solar Mining Company in its heyday - regularly  fell trees illegally to sell bushcut chainsaw lumber to fund mining operations. Case closed.

That is why the more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media - particlularly those that formed the coalition against galamsey - must ensure that all fraudulently obtained mining permits or licences are cancelled.

After all, since the 1992 Constitution was promulgated, when has Parliament  ever sanctioned any such mining rights - as required by law? President Akufo-Addo (God bless, protect and guide him always!) and his government need not fear any judgement debts arising  from its tough stance in this matter. The ban on small-scale gold mining must be maintained and vigorously enforced. Period. We rest our case.