Upper west chiefs asked to ensure dispute-free takeoff of mining

Wa, Aug 1, GNA - Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minister has appealed to traditional rulers in the region to effectively play their role as agents for security and unity to ensure a successful takeoff of the impending mining operations in the region.

The minister made this call at a day's forum jointly organized by the office of the national security and the Minerals Commission, in collaboration with the Regional Coordinating Council, as well as District Chief Executives at Wa on Tuesday.

The meeting afforded officials from the office of the national security and the minerals Commission to brief stakeholders in the region on how best they could nib in the bud potential mining related conflicts before they explode.

An Australian mining company, Azuma mining company has been granted license by the government to start prospecting for gold in the region. Mr Dery underscored the importance of operations of the mining company to the region whose able-bodied men usually migrate to southern Ghana to look for jobs.

Mr Biagya Yakubu, Technical Director, Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines, said currently, no license had been issued to any body to do small scale mining in the region and asked all who intend doing so to register at the Bolga zonal office of the minerals Commission.

Mr Ibrahim Bawa, Principal Mining Engineer of the Minerals Commission, who took the participants through the processes of acquiring license for small-scale mining, pointed out that the penalty for buying gold without a license from the precious minerals marketing corporation is five years and a fine of 350 million cedis or five years for illegal miners.

During question time, some of the chiefs complained about the activities of illegal miners in the area, saying it was causing tension between the operators and the local people. The chiefs gave the assurance that they would collaborate with all the stakeholders to ensure environmental friendly mining activities in the region.