The Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar has stated government efforts to regulate small-scale mining.
She said this in an interview with 3news’ Beatrice Adu which focused on illegal mining, particularly its impact on water bodies.
According to her, “Instead of leaving the small-scale sector into the hands of Chinese and other foreign nationals, we are putting communities together, giving them mercury-free mining devices like the gold catcher, providing technical training, and building capacity,” she stated.
When questioned about the impact of government interventions on illegal mining, particularly regarding water turbidity, the Minister acknowledged the complexity of the issue.
“There’re a lot of factors, most especially unless they do the testing to tell us what is in the water at a particular point in time, just seeing the surface will not be sufficient to pinpoint the level of turbidity,” she explained.
The Minister also highlighted ongoing prosecutions, emphasizing that many cases predate the current administration.
Addressing concerns about the prosecution of individuals involved in illegal mining, Ms Abubakar emphasized the challenges in identifying and prosecuting highly-placed offenders.
“If you sign a task force or a volunteer group to police water bodies or forests, when they go there, they arrest the people they see on-site. It is only upon those arrests that you will be able to establish a chain and lead to what you will call the big person or the topmost person,” she said.
Responding to queries about the burning of excavators by a regional executive of the ruling party, the Minister clarified the legal procedures involved in addressing infringements by small-scale mining companies.
“The issue is that, especially for small-scale mining companies that have concessions and the right to mine at some particular places, if you think there are infringements, it is the court that you send them,” she clarified.
By Eva Boamah