The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inussah Fuseini has warned Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to desist from getting involved in illegal mining or risk losing their job.

According to him, the complicity of any MMDCE in Galamsey - illegal mining - activities will be brought to the attention of the presidency for immediate action.

Speaking Wednesday, on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, Alhaji Fuseini said although there have been allegations of some Chief Executives condoning the act, his outfit is yet to confirm that.

The Chairman for the Inter-ministerial Taskforce against illegal mining said President John Mahama desires to bring to halt the illegal mining business, which has caused enormous destruction to the environment.

"The president has said repeatedly that the ability of any District Chief Executive to forestall, mitigate and in any way bring small scale mining to a halt will be one such important benchmark to assess performance.

"Any Metropolitan, Municipal or District Chief Executive in any mining community, who allows small scale mining to continue or to go on will have himself to blame for it," he cautioned.

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini therefore wants the district assemblies to lead the fight against galamsey by designing policies to manage their natural resources. He described as shocking, the devastation caused to the environment through the use of complex chemicals that are harmful to human health.

"You cannot understand why people cannot make a connection between the degradation that is going and their health," he questioned .

Preference for small scale miners

Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency, Dr. Joe Tony Aidoo however, noted that a comparative analysis should be done between the costs and benefits the nation has derived from the exploitation of its mineral resources for over a century now.

Dr. Aidoo further pointed out that the nation has not benefited from the exploitation of its mineral resources with regard to the destruction caused to the environment, particularly foreign firms operating large scale mining.

"We are not getting anything out of mining activities; between those large scale miners and the small scale miners, I will go for the small scale miners. If we can get 10% [of the minerals] and keep the 90% on the ground we are better of," he said.

                                                                             Dr. Tony Aidoo

Giving back to the community

Meanwhile, vice president of policy think tank, IMANI-Ghana, Kofi Bentil has suggested the institution of a policy that will compel mining firms to give 10% of mining revenue back to the communities, where they exploited the mineral.

Mr. Bentil said such funds could be used to build roads, schools and other facilities that will generate employment and reduce the incidences of illegal mining.

"We have to take away the issues of poverty, illiteracy [and] unemployment, which are influencing galamsey," Mr. Bentil submitted.

                          

                                                                Kofi Bentil