A member of the Mining Committee of Parliament has disclosed that mining community groups would be set up and given concessions to operate once the ban on small-scale mining is lifted.

Joseph Albert Quarm, who doubles as the Member of Parliament of the Amansie West Constituency, said the groups will be made up of between five and ten people.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a Town Hall meeting organised by the Ministry of Information and the Ministry Local Government and Rural Development in Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region.

According to him, the concession will be given to the groups in the form of a cooperative arrangement.

“They will be allowed to operate 100 meters from river bodies as the Law stipulates and would be made to reclaim the lands,” the MP said..

Equipping the minerals commission

The Legislator revealed that the Minerals Commission will be retooled with 45 pickups whiles the number of its offices has been increased from 12 to 23.

The move is expected to equip the state agency to effectively execute their duties and importantly monitor the operations of the small-scale miners in their respective area of operations.

The Town Hall meeting presented an opportunity for decision-makers to communicate and engage with residents of the area.

He said the Ministry intends to bring governance to the doorsteps of the people through the Town Hall meetings.

Water and sanitation projects

Twenty communities in the Amansie West District are also set to benefit from the construction of 24 modern toilet facilities.

District Chief Executive for the Amansie West District, Nii Larteh Ollenu, said plans are far advanced to reach an agreement with a waste management company called Ghana First to construct the facilities.

The project is a Public-Private Partnership and is intended to boost sanitation in the district.

Projects

Since the beginning of the year, the district has seen the construction of Medical Officer's bungalow at Manso Nkwanta, Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) Compound at Hiakose/Aboade, Nurses Quarters at Manso Nkwanta, and Construction of Fire Station at Manso Nkwanta among others.

A GHS100,000 scholarship scheme has been set up for the needy but brilliant students in the constituency.

Mr Quarm said Masoman Senior High School has been captured as part of the model Schools which would witness massive infrastructural development very soon.

Regional Director of Information Services Department, Nana Akrasi Sarpong, praised the people for turning up in their numbers to grace the occasion.

Nana Akrasi mentioned Government's flagship programmes such as Free Senior High School and the Nation Builders Corps (NABco) as policies which would help mitigate the hardships in the society.

 He called for the support of the people to the Assembly and the Government to enable them to carry out their mandate.