Some residents in some mining communities have resorted to stealing following the extensive ban on small-scale mining, a former Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations in the Mahama administration, Baba Jamal, has has claimed.

Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam Thursday, Baba Jamal, bemoaned the prolonged ban on small-scale mining, insisting that the action has destroyed the economies of several mining communities in the country. 

Government through the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, placed a six-month ban on small-scale mining in January 2017 to halt the devastation of the country’s forest and water bodies by activities of illegal miners.

The government has subsequently extended the ban on two occasions, much to the chagrin of small-scale miners, who say the prolonged ban has brought untold hardships onto their families.

The government has, however, promised to lift the ban before the end of 2018.

Baba Jamal still maintains that the ban has rather contributed to mass unemployment in the mining communities as some unemployed youth have resorted to stealing.

“It appears stealing has increased in the mining areas due to the ban. My own secretary, Akantara, had his motorbike stolen right in front of his office. This is a serious matter confronting the country,” Baba Jamal alleged.

He also rubbished claims that the environment is now cleaner as a result of the ban saying, “Illegal mining activities are still ongoing in some mining areas.”