Osino (E/R), May 26, - The World
Bank is to support the implementation of the Multi-Sectorial Integrated Mining
Project (MSIMP) of the government with US$50 million.
Out of the amount, US$30 million
would be loan and US$20 million would be a grant.
Dr Isaac Bonsu Karikari, the
Acting National Project Coordinator for the MSIMP disclosed this at a town hall
meeting organised by the Media Coalition Against Galamsey (MCAG) at Osino, one
of the communities affected by illegal mining, popularly called galamsey in the
Eastern Region.
He explained that the MSIMP was
to ensure responsible and sustainable small scale mining in the country and
also ensure that all players in the small scale mining chain including
landlords, traditional authorities, communities, government and the mining
companies groups benefit from the small scale mining.
Dr Karikari said under the
project, district assemblies would establish mining committees with trained
personnel who would monitor and ensure responsible and sustainable mining in
their districts and all excavators in the country would be registered and
tracked so that they could easily be captured on drones when used for illegal
mining for easy arrest of the owners.
He said the ban on small scale
mining would soon be lifted but could not give any date.
In a speech read on behalf of the
Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Tettey, he expressed support of the
Eastern Regional Coordinating Council for the activities of the MCAG and said
mining committees had been established in the districts to support the fight
against illegal mining.
He called for collaboration and
cooperation among all players in the fight against illegal mining.
Squadron Leader Omani Agyei of
the Operation Vanguard (OV), the team of police and soldiers who are enforcing
the ban on illegal mining in the country, appealed for stiffer punishment for
people arrested for engaging in illegal mining.
He appealed for low loaders to
enable OV team to move excavators and heavy machines seized from illegal miners
from the forest to safety.
Squadron Leader Agyei said the OV
team needed drones to be able to detect illegal miners operating in the bush
and the team had seized 101 guns and 2,347 bullets.
The Eastern Regional Director of
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Addo Kyere said illegal mining among
other things brought along increased population and increased pressure on
social amenities.
He said in some cases, host
communities suffered increased family break downs as married women went after
rich illegal miners and many young women got pregnant without husbands and
ended up producing bustards for the country.
Earlier in an address, Mr Nii
Laryea Sowah of the MCAG explained that, the MCAG was established to fight
against illegal mining when the media realised that the government was failing
to provide the required leadership to halt the destruction of river bodies,
forest and threat of the lives of Ghanaians by the activities of illegal
miners.
He said the MCAG has held eight town hall
meetings and several stakeholder meetings across the country in communities
affected by illegal mining to sensitise the people to help fight illegal mining
to help stop the destruction of the environment.
GNA
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