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A member of the NDC communication team, Sammy Gyamfi has said the ban on small-scale mining under the watch of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a lazy approach to tackle the menace of illegal mining.

He said it will be best when registered small-scale miners are allowed to perform their duties, whiles the galamsey operators are prevented because their activities are not backed by law.

According to him, a small-scale miner can only be revoked of his license, if he/she operates outside the laws binding their operations.    

“Small-scale mining and Galamsey operations are not the same. President Akufo-Addo has collapsed small-scale mining which is a legal business, rendering workers on the field sad and disappointed in life.

“You cannot use a lazy approach and say generally, I have stopped small-scale mining which is a legal business, just because some people are not doing the right thing; why do we have laws,” he lamented.

Speaking on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme, Sammy Gyamfi insisted he does not believe in the genuineness of the ban lifting action.

To him it is just a statement made by the President to score cheap political points from the angry small-scale miners, especially the ones who are contemplating to seek legal action against the ban.

However, he praised government on halting the activities of the galamseyers.

“I will be the first person to praise a government in a fight against galamsey due to my educational background in the field. Indeed Akufo-Addo and his government deserve applause for embarking on such an exercise as promised,” he said.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured that, shortly, Government will put out a statement setting out a comprehensive roadmap, including the lifting of the ban on small-scale mining, to deal with, on a permanent basis, the grave threat of galamsey to the present and future health of Ghana.

The comprehensive roadmap, according to the President, will involve the reclaiming and re-afforestation of mined-out areas; the restoration of impacted water bodies; and strict supervision of the processes of awarding mining licenses and associated permits.