The Commission does not grant licenses for mining in water bodies- Minerals Commission CEO

Accra, Ghana - Martin Kwaku Ayisi, Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, has categorically stated that the Commission never grants licenses for mining on water bodies.

In an interview on Newsfile Saturday, Ayisi emphasized that anyone engaging in illegal mining (galamsey) on water bodies does so without a license, and the Commission strongly condemns such activities.

"The complaint from small-scale miners is that they don't have licenses, and they want licenses to work lawfully. There are thousands of Ghanaians out there who want licenses to work and live in peace. The numbers in our repository are not synonymous with illegal mining," he explained.

He clarified that licensed small-scale miners have been operating lawfully for years, but the increase in license registrations has led to a rise in illegal mining by unlicensed individuals in water bodies and forest reserves.

Ayisi identified illegal mining as the primary cause of water pollution, citing the use of platforms and devices to extract minerals directly from rivers.

“These are people who do not have licenses. The Minister or the Minerals Commission will not recommend the grant of a license to somebody to enter the water bodies, mount a platform and do that kind of activity. That is illegal,” he said.

“The other one has to do with persons who are perhaps within the banks or upstream - because they don’t have modern equipment, they also dig the ore and wash into the water bodies," he added.

The Minerals Commission CEO's statement comes as the government faces mounting pressure to address the environmental and health impacts of illegal mining.

Source: Lead News Online