Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has pledged to make small-scale miners in the country “millionaires”.

He explained that the policy his government will put in place will improve their livelihoods and put money in their pockets.

Dr Bawumia made the promise while addressing small-scale miners and youth groups in Tarkwa on the last day of his campaign tour of the Western Region.

According to him, some mining concessions in the country will be allocated to small-scale miners.

“We will allocate the mining concessions to the small-scale miners. My primary focus is to make many small-scale miners millionaires and multi-millionaires. I want to support our small-scale miners,” he said.

Dr. Bawumia also assured that rather than chasing small-scale miners and seizing their equipment, he will support them by providing them with the tools needed to mine legally.

“We will formalise the small-scale mining regime and give them a license. Everybody will register with the Small Scale Miners Association with their Ghana card and we will deepen the representation of the Minerals Commission and the EPA, and make sure that the districts that they don't have representatives, we will give them some,” he assured.

Dr. Bawumia said every district will have a mining committee that will give temporary licenses in consultation with the chiefs.