The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said his administration would ensure that the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), is amended to allow for the operations of the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be decentralized in the various districts.
Dr Bawumia said that this would form part of the process of formalizing small-scale mining to ensure that they conform to best mining practices.
Apart from decentralizing the Minerals Commission and the EPA, he said, chiefs would be part of the process of licensing small-scale miners in their localities under his administration.
Dr Bawumia noted that small-scale mining activities cannot be formlsied without the involvement of the chiefs.
Speaking to Chiefs as part of his campaign activities in the Western Region, on Thursday, May 2, Dr Bawumia said “we want to formalize the small-scaling business, but we cannot be successful without the involvement of the chiefs.
“The chiefs have to be part of the licensing of the miners in their localities, they have to be part of the whole process and so we will have to make the necessary amendments to the Mining Act to be able to do more of these, decentralize the Minerals Commission to be in the various districts, decentralize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) so that they [miners] don’t go into the water bodies.”
