Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed a comprehensive plan to combat illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, with a focus on regulation and the inclusion of the Ghana Card in monitoring activities.
Speaking during a campaign visit to the Kpone Katamanso Constituency, Dr. Bawumia emphasized the need for a more preventive approach to tackle the galamsey menace, stating that enforcement alone would not solve the problem.
He called for a reformation of the small-scale mining sector, which includes a geological mapping system to identify gold reserves and direct miners to legal and environmentally sustainable mining sites.
“We are always chasing people, but we are not preventing illegal mining from happening in the first place,” the Vice President said. “We need to sanitize the regime, regularize it, and ensure that the Geological Survey Authority maps out where all the gold reserves are.”
A critical part of Dr. Bawumia’s strategy is the registration of miners, using the Ghana Card to monitor and regulate their activities.
He explained that this would bring miners into the formal sector, allowing authorities to supervise their work and ensure they adhere to environmentally friendly practices, such as using machines that avoid mercury and keep mining away from water bodies.
“Once miners are registered with their Ghana Cards and directed to specific areas where they can mine legally, it will reduce the destruction of our environment,” he added. “This way, we can track their activities and prevent them from hiding and causing harm.”
Dr. Bawumia stressed that formalizing small-scale mining and enforcing the laws would go a long way in resolving the galamsey problem.
“If we don’t regulate them, they will hide and operate unlawfully. But with proper registration and supervision, we can win this fight,” he noted.