The Chief Executive for the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr Sulemanu Koney, has urged government to increase the percentage they pay local communities as royalties from the minerals that are extracted by mining firms.
The current 9% being paid by government, Mr Koney admitted was woefully and totally inadequate.
According to him, the local communities deserved more than the lowly 9% they are given now.
Addressing a cross section of media practitioners in the Ashanti Region, the CEO intimated government needed to do more to help local communities derive the best from the partnerships they reach with both government and mining companies.
He noted with pain how some of the mining communities in the Country were left with nothing after some firms had mined and explored for gold or other mineral sources.
This, he said, was unacceptable since some of these communities could only develop from the mineral deposits they had.
CHARGE
He therefore charged the government to increase the quota they were currently giving to local communities to 30% so as to ginger many others to offer their lands for the exploration of gold and other mineral resources.
According to him, the communities deserve better from the partnerships they entered with mining firms and companies.
Mr Koney stressed the 30% being lobbied by the local communities through their chiefs was in order since every town needed to benefit from the investment partnerships they reach with exploration and mining companies.
”I believe what the local communities are demanding for was legitimate since they needed to reap from the lands and farms they give up for the exploration of mineral resources”, the CEO noted.
Mr Koney rallied government to lead the charge of ensuring these local communities were not milked dry by some of the local and expatriate mining companies.
BEST PRACTICES:
In a passionate tone, the CEO urged the Minerals Commission to consciously ensure both local and foreign mining companies deplore the right systems in extracting mineral deposits from lands across the country.
Worryingly, he noted most companies leave their site of operations worse off than they found them, adding they often used very unorthodox systems to mine.
This, he noted left both arable and water bodies in these communities in bad and devastating state.
Many, he stressed, also did nothing to reclaim the arable lands or concessions they used to conduct their activities.
GALAMSEY:
Touching on the canker of illegal mining which is popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’, Mr Koney disclosed many of the youth were engaged in this activity where they deployed crude methods in exploring for gold or other mineral resources.
He, also, divulged many unscrupulous as well as rich people were entering into the illegal mining arena, adding they pumped so much money into it luring the unemployed youth into the illegal activity.
”Sometimes, it is worrying to find out that many big men who are respected in the society are behind this illegal business”, Mr Koney revealed.
STRATEGY:
He noted the Minerals Commission could help curb this trend by hurriedly finishing with the registration of all mining firms including the small scale companies in the country.
This, he noted would ensure the crowding out of the illegal firms since the certification could clearly distinguish between those doing clean business and others who were doing so illegally.
