Ban on small-scale mining not intended to inconvenience artisanal miners- Lands Minister


Mr. Amewu said this when he paid a working visit to Richie Plantations Limited at Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of the Central Region.

The Minister who was accompanied by a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, an Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund, Dr. Norris Hammah, an Advisor on Mines, Ben Aryeeh, Technical Director of Mines at the Ministry, Christopher Anokyi and the National Coordinator of the MMIP, Dr. Isaac Karikari, inspected the two million seedlings project which is part of the implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Mining Integrated Project intended to provide alternative source of livelihoods for artisanal small-scale miners who have been rendered jobless by the ban on small-scale mining.

Mr. Amewu, directed the managers of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) to increase financial allocations to the Richie Plantations Limited towards expanding its palm nuts seedling project.

The Minister said increase in funding would enable the firm to expand its nursery seedling project to the mining communities nationwide, to supply palm seedlings free of charge to artisanal small-scale miners who have been rendered redundant due to the ban on small-scale mining to get alternative source of income as well as support government's alternative livelihoods programme for artisanal miners.

He said palm seedlings cultivation could be very profitable since Malaysia had depended on palm nuts to grow her economy and, thus, urged the miners to take full advantage of the programme to make headway in life.

Last year, the government, through the MDF, supported the firm with three million Ghana Cedis for expansion purposes.

Richie Plantations is a firm that raises palm nuts seedlings for artisanal small-scale miners for cultivation through the support of the MDF.

The programme forms part of the implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Mining Integrated Project intended to provide alternative source of livelihoods for artisanal small-scale miners who have been rendered jobless by the ban on small-scale mining.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Richie Plantations, Richard Ekow Quansah, for his part, said, it had nursed 1.5 million hybrid palm nuts seedlings and intended to scale up to three million.

The project started in Prestea Huni Valley in 2007 and moved to Dunkwa-Anyanfuri in the Central Region in 2013, he said.

Mr Quansah noted that it had since been supporting farmers and artisanal miners to gain alternative source of livelihoods.

It has employed over 400 youth in the area including artisanal miners and women helpers in nursing palm seedlings.

It has two ponds and sprinklers for irrigation purposes and also bought motorbikes and trucks to aid in distributing the seedlings.

The Municipal Chief Executive of the Upper Denkyira East, Isaac Awuah, said government is implementing various social intervention programmes including One-District, One-Factory,  Planting for Food and Jobs, Nation Builders Corps, among others, that will create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.


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