Economy

Farming can’t replace Galamsey – Mahama Ayariga

Farming is not alternative livelihood to prevent illegal small scale miners from their activity, according to former Minister of Environment Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Mahama Ayariga.
“We talk of farming as alternative livelihood, who said they do not know they could farm? …they know there are farms and they could farm”, the lawmaker said.
” They know government has provided fertilizer subsidies and they could farm but the illegal miners feel that this not profitable for them especially the youth”, he observed.
According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker for Bawku Central, he once in a working visit then as minister observed people in high places involved themselves in illegal mining.
“Whenever you find out there is gold somewhere sometimes the people at the agencies for licensing other people to mine end up having arrangements contrary to the mining laws”, Hon. Mahama Ayariga alleged.
This, according to him, makes it difficult for people to obtain mining licenses to do legal mining despite ban by Ministry of Land and Natural Resources.
The private legal practitioner therefore opined the use of police/military taskforce to stop galamsey in the country is unnecessary suggestion easy mode of obtaining licensing will do the trick.

 

Source: otecfmghana.com / Kwabena Danso-Dapaah
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