The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that mining companies take full responsibility for reclaiming lands damaged by their operations.
Speaking on the matter, he emphasized that businesses that have profited from natural resources must bear the cost of restoring the environment, rather than leaving the burden on an already financially strained government.
Hon. Buah outlined several measures the government is implementing to ensure effective land reclamation.
He stressed that there will be opportunities for rectification, compensation, and correction and at the same time, penalties will be enforced where necessary.
Additionally, mining companies that hold multiple licenses will have their activities reassessed, ensuring that areas affected by their operations are adequately reclaimed before they are allowed to continue mining in new locations.
“They were asking me how much money I will receive to go and do reclamation. Should it be the responsibility of a government that is already struggling for funds to find money to reclaim damaged lands where business people have made their profits and left?” the Minister questioned.
The Minister also added that to address this issue, the government is leveraging financial instruments such as insurance bonds, which large-scale mining companies are required to post.
These bonds serve as guarantees, ensuring that if companies fail to meet reclamation requirements, the funds will be used to restore the affected lands.
Furthermore, the Minister revealed that the government is moving towards a recategorization of mining operations.
This will introduce new levels of responsibility, particularly for medium and small-scale miners.
The goal is to hold all operators accountable, ensuring that environmental damage is addressed before miners move on to new sites.
“We are getting to the point where we will hold small-scale miners accountable and ensure they take responsibility for everything that goes wrong. It should not be the government’s headache to look for money to fix the mess left by those who have acted irresponsibly,” he stated.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah also noted that some small-scale miners, despite being legal, have abandoned degraded lands without any attempts at restoration.
Under the new framework, they will be required to go back and fix the damage before being allowed to operate elsewhere.
Story by Freedom lavoe.
