A popular artisanal and small scale miner, known as King Ca-Busa, has called for a total ban on mining activities in the country.
His call is premised on the grounds that Ghanaians have not derived maximum benefit from mining operations in the country.
Currently, all the mining companies pay only 3 per cent royalties quarterly based on production value though the law has fixed it between 3 and 6 per cent.
This percentage to the state, he said, is woefully inadequate, and thus called for a review of the law so as to ensure that Ghana derives maximise revenue from mining.
He said the artisanal small scale miners have created loads of jobs for many unemployed people, particularly in the rural areas, and that any move to abolish the system would bring untold hardships on the people.
On the issue of galamsey, King Ca-Busa, pointed out that the chorus against illegal mining was not well-informed.
“In fact, if care is not taken, stopping illegal mining, known in local parlance as galamsey, could create more problems for the country,” he cautioned.
He stated that stopping galamsey without a detailed plan on how to cater for the needs of the teeming unemployed youth, especially in mining communities, could create bigger problems for the country.
There is a groundswell of anger against galamsey in the wake of a bleak projection by the Water Research Institute (WRI) that Ghana could be importing water in the not too distant future.
There have been loud calls on government, particularly the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, to clamp down on illegal activities of galamseyers.
While some have called for an immediate frontal attack against the galamseyers polluting water bodies and destroying vegetation, others have suggested a more cautious approach in order to achieve lasting results.
In the estimation of King Ca-Busa, government should ban mining and set up a body he calls the Military Council with the mandate to supervise all mining activities in the country.
This Council, he explained, must be given the mandate to employ military personal to ensure that monies accrued from mining will all go to the central government which will be used in the development of the mining communities and the country as a whole.
He believes about ten million jobs can be created with the recruitment which will go a long way in curbing the alarming unemployment rate in the country.
These recruits, he said, will be going round the country to ensure that laid down procedures are followed so that all those working outside of the law will be brought to book and then funds generated by foreign companies will remain here which will also help in the stabilisation of the cedi.
He continued that the recruits will be made to plant trees about one hundred feet away from the water bodies which they will take care of daily as a means of reclaiming the lands and the water bodies.
He said if trees are planted along water bodies and are being manned, no one will make the attempt of mining in these areas.
He questioned whether Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has ever dredged any of the rivers and lakes for the water bodies to reclaim their freshness before?
“If a country has natural resources and is not investing the revenues to benefit its people, it will only create trouble for the country, he indicated.
He observed that illegal mining has become a norm in recent times because societies are aggrieved that a chunk of revenue generated from natural resources within their respective locations go to foreign companies with only a small amount coming to the central government.
In the opinion of King Ca-Busa, using the security agencies to fight galamsey will simply not achieve the desired target, stressing that until inequality issues are addressed; societies will continue to support and indulge in galamsey.
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