Sustainable development expert Michael Ebo Amoah has called for the decentralisation of the mining licensing regime.
Decentralized authority can include the power to decide local land uses or to collect and manage fees and taxes from the extraction of oil, and issuing of licenses, he argued.
He indicated that potential miners go through serious challenges in acquiring licenses because the whole process is centralised.
He said because the system is centralised, there could be a high level of corruption and manipulation of the processes.
Mr Ebo Amoaf said the decentralisation would give power to the locals to assign, manage, and terminate the right to search for and extract minerals from the ground.
Over the globe, some developed countries that have pursued this path are Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Also, developing countries with decentralized mineral licensing include Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The lecturer further explained that decentralization of mineral licensing could influence development outcomes by allowing the locals to make decisions about the exploration and development of mineral deposits.
He also touched on the need for authorities to intensify inspections of the concessions awarded to licensed miners.
This, he said, is important since it would ensure that the licensed miners work in line with the protocols.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
