The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has announced that he will amend the Minerals Act if he wins the upcoming presidential elections.
Dr. Bawumia revealed that the amendment will allow chiefs to be part of the licensing process for miners.
He said if the law is amended, chiefs would have the opportunity to be part of those who ensure that miners obtain licenses.
He disclosed this while addressing the Western Regional House of Chiefs on Thursday during his Western Regional campaign tour.
According to Dr. Bawumia, this would help resolve the challenges facing the Small-Scale Mining Sector.
He also assured that the Minerals Commission would be decentralised to ensure that it operated in all the various districts.
“We want to formalise small-scale mining, but we cannot be successful without the participation of Chiefs. The chiefs have to be part of the licensing of miners in their locality. They have to be part of the whole process. And so, we have to make the necessary amendments to the Mining Act to do all of this. Decentralise the Mineral Commission to be in the various districts, decentralise the Environmental Protection Agency.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
