The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has re-affirmed his resolve to establish a Minerals Development Bank to provide funding to small-scale miners to undertake responsible and environmentally friendly mining across the country.

In line with this commitment, the flagbearer of NPP said, the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) would be resourced to conduct detailed geological investigations in designated areas across the country.

That, he said, would aid the GGSA in determining mineralised areas of gold deposits to prevent speculative mining practices, which destroy the landscapes and pollution of the water bodies.

The initiative is a demonstration of the NPP Flagbearer’s resolve to tackle illegal mining and enhance the regulation of small-scale mining in the country.

Dr Bawumia gave the assurance during a stakeholders’ durbar at Nyinahin in the Atwima-Mponua constituency of the Ashanti Region, on Monday.

He also announced plans to develop the Western and Eastern railway lines to facilitate easy transportation of mineral resources and other goods and services.

For instance, Dr Bawumia said, his administration would expand the Tema rail lines to Kumasi and to the Northern region, while the Kojokrom railway lines would be expanded to Kumasi for the transportation of goods and services.

On agriculture modernisation, the NPP Flagbearer said his administration would set up agriculture mechanisation centres in agricultural districts to provide equipment such as tractors, harvesters and ploughing machines to farmers.

Dr Bawumia appealed to the electorate to vote for him to become the next president of Ghana and all the NPP parliamentary candidates across the country to enable them to continue the transformative agenda of the NPP government.

The NPP Flagbearer is currently touring some constituencies in the Ashanti region, which is the Party’s stronghold, ahead of the December 7 Election.