People are just doing trial and error, I will set up community mining schemes with certainty – Bawumia

Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has laid out a strategic plan to address Ghana’s illegal mining crisis, commonly known as ‘galamsey,’ with an emphasis on sustainability and regulation.

Speaking at Kpone Katamanso on Tuesday, 18 September 2024, Dr. Bawumia stressed the need to overhaul the small-scale mining sector by empowering key institutions and promoting environmentally responsible practices.

Central to his strategy is strengthening the role of the Geological Survey Authority of Ghana to conduct mineral prospecting, ensuring that mining activities are based on accurate data.

This, he said, would eliminate the current “trial and error” approach, which has resulted in widespread environmental degradation.

“At the moment, people are just doing trial and error, destroying our environment. There is no data backing where they go. They just go and dig, they don’t find gold, and then move on to the next place. I want us to set up community mining schemes with certainty from the Geological Survey Department that here you have gold,” Dr. Bawumia explained.

To support these efforts, he proposed the creation of a resource pool of advanced equipment, such as mercury-free gold extraction technologies, to minimise environmental impact and prevent pollution of water bodies.

“We can make sure that those who are mining there are regularised. We bring in these gold catcher machines that don’t use mercury and make sure they are not in water bodies,” he emphasised.

Dr. Bawumia also underscored the need for robust regulation and enforcement of existing mining laws to prevent illegal operators from working under the radar.

“If you don’t regulate them, then they will hide and do it at night when people aren’t watching. But we need to regulate them, and we need to enforce the laws that are already existent,” he added.