The Convener of Occupy Ghana, Ace Annan Ankomah, has voiced his strong opposition to the proposal for an outright ban on all mining activities in the country, despite mounting pressure on the government to take action.
He asserted that legitimate mining companies should not be unfairly categorized alongside illegal operators, as this could have severe financial implications for both the economy and compliant businesses.
In an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, September 30, Mr. Ankomah stressed the need to differentiate between responsible and irresponsible mining practices.
He stressed that, blanket bans could harm law-abiding companies that contribute positively to the industry and the nation’s economy.
Mr Ankomah advocated for a more targeted approach, emphasizing the necessity of focusing on illegal mining activities instead of punishing all mining operations.
By doing so, he believes that the government can better support compliant companies while addressing the environmental and social issues caused by illegal mining.
“When you give someone the mining lease or the small-scale mining license, it’s for a certain term, you say that you have the power to revoke it, specifically upon the breach of the rules. So, I’m mining, I haven’t breached the law. She/he is breaching the law and sometimes coming into my concession to mine. They say ban all of us.”
“Moratorium may have to involve some level of engagement. But why do you want to tell the big mines who haven’t breached any of the laws that stop? Yeah, we agree, moratorium, how long? There’s a financial cost, not just to them, but to the nation. The law says you can’t mine at certain places, and to the extent that they have given leases into forest bodies, we’re asking them to put them on hold. Some of the calls are for an outright ban on all mining which will not be absolutely feasible.”
“There’s a law that says that you can’t mine within a certain zone of water bodies…Mining is not pretty, it’s not pretty anywhere. Mining when you see it, looks like savaging the earth. To the extent that the mine is operating legally, I don’t think that we should be talking about them at all. If a duly licensed or leaseholder is breaching the law, we identify that leaseholder and deal with that leaseholder or that license holder,” he said.
His comments come amidst ongoing discussions about the future of mining in Ghana, particularly in light of the challenges posed by illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as “galamsey.”