The Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) of the Minerals Commission, Bernard Aryee has called on local authorities in the mining sectors to take pragmatic steps to address the issue of illegal mining in the nation.
He asked all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to heed President Mahama�s advice to stop illegal mining.
He told Radio Gold on Monday that the fight against illegal miners should not be an individual affair but a commitment from the local authorities and security agencies.
He urged Ghanaians to coorperate with the mining regulators to ensure that the situation where people engage in illegal small-scale mining, popularly called Galamsey, is dealt with appropriately.
He advised the citizenry to report miners who engage in illicit mining activities to the appropriate authorities because �it is a commitment from them to say that we will not allow it. So that before it becomes too big to handle locally, they will say; sorry, you can�t do it. As soon as you start, we will stop it.�
Touching on President Mahama�s initiative to start work on the Prestea underground mine, Mr. Aryee believed the move will accrue lots of benefits for the nation and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
He was of the view that the initiative will generate �further revenue for the local community, for government and eveybody else. And also, particularly, employment and economic livelihood for the people which has been lacking for some time now. So, government is very happy about that.�
He also bemoaned the intrusion of foreigners in the nation�s mining sector.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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