The Small Scale Miners Association has put on hold its demonstration against government’s ban on all small-scale mining in the country until mid-October this year.
According to the Association, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu, has promised to lift the said ban by mid-October.
The miners on Tuesday 12, September 2017 defied police orders not to protest against the galamsey ban during which 10 of them were arrested by Ashanti Regional Police Command and are currently facing charges of assault and offensive conducts.
But speaking to Class News, Executive Member of the Association, Mike Gizo, said they have suspended their intended protest pending the fulfilment of the sector Minister’s pledge to reverse the ban by October this year.
“Yesterday we had series of engagements with top government officials. The Minister also spoke and said that mid-October the ban will be lifted so we are not people who are [rowdy] in our approach. We just wanted a road map to be drawn to when we’ll be going back to our places of operation. So if they are able to abide by what they’ve said, then there will be no need for us to demonstrate any longer. So what we have decided now is to wait for the period to elapse. If we do not hear any good news, then we’ll not even do it in a regional manner but it will be a nationwide demonstration,” he stated.
The Nana Akufo-Addo-led government, soon after assuming power, placed a ban on all forms of small-scale mining to safeguard the country’s river bodies, lands and natural resources.
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