Accra, July 6, GNA - Coming at the heels of the recent illegal mining disaster at Dunkwa-On-Offin, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources would dispatch a joint military-police task force to clamp down on activities of illegal miners.

The task force would next week move to flush out illegal miners around Subinso near Tepa in Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region and Krokosoa Forest Reserve in Juaboso District in the Western Region. In addition; the Ministry has warned stakeholders in the sector to refrain from granting rights to people to mine because it is the statutory rights of the Minister to do so.

"I want to state categorically that all stakeholders including chiefs, land owners and farmers found granting rights to anyone to mine, commits an offence and would be dealt with," Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources gave the warning at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday.

He said "the 1992 Constitution and the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703) vested the authority to granting mineral rights in the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and no other person".

"Indeed if any illegal mining activity is found anywhere or on any farm, the land owner or the farmer would be arrested for questioning and possible prosecution," he said.

Alhaji Dauda said even though government is supportive of the small scale mining industry in view of the potential socio-economic benefits to the country, the rising incidence of illegal mining coupled with destruction to land, pollution and siltation of water bodies and loss of lives had become a major concern.

He said in spite of a range of measures government had implemented over the years to encourage small-scale miners to operate in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner, communities, chiefs, land owners, farmers and some opinion leaders had arrogated to themselves the power to grant rights to people to mine.

Alhaji Dauda called on those who wished to mine legally to follow laid down procedures to acquire licences, which would guide them as to how and where to operate. He appealed to Ghanaians to provide information on illegal mining activities in their localities, adding that government is hopeful that major stakeholders would collaborate with it to minimise the menace of illegal mining.