The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, has called for the introduction of mandatory reclamation bonds for mining licence holders and the deployment of more engineers to mining districts to strengthen environmental protection and improve regulation of the sector.

Speaking in Parliament during debate on the Public Accounts Committee's report on the Auditor-General's follow-up audits on regulating small-scale mining for a sustainable environment, the sustainability of sports stadia and the administration of GETFund scholarships, the Deputy Minister said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission had fully implemented 29 recommendations contained in the report, while 25 others had also been addressed.

He disclosed that the government is recruiting and deploying more Environmental Protection Agency officers to mining districts, explaining that while some have been engaged on contract, others have been confirmed as permanent staff.

“Whilst we are looking for engineers to go and do this work at the district levels it is quite expensive... it is the chicken and egg situation,” he said. “The monies are not there for you to be able to employ more hands so that they can bring you the revenue.”

Mr Sulemana also announced that community mining committees are being established and made operational across mining districts to strengthen local oversight.

He further lamented the absence of reclamation bonds for many mining operators, stating, “Many people get licenses to go and mine and they don't sign any reclamation bond... when they succeed in destroying the environment and they run away there's nothing for you to use to reclaim the lands.”

He urged stakeholders to support a policy that would make reclamation bonds a mandatory requirement for all mining licence holders.

The Deputy Minister added that the government will soon lay before Parliament a bill to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), with the proposed changes aimed at modernising Ghana's mining laws, shortening the licensing process and strengthening the legal framework for environmental protection in the sector.