A group calling itself the Ashanti Youth for Development is warning government against any attempts to unduly favour foreigners with small- scale mining vis a vis the streamlining of the sector which is under consideration by government.

The group alleged that government is planning to amend the current laws on small scale mining which allows only Ghanaians to acquire such license, to medium scale mining that will open up and create an avenue for foreigners to also obtain such licenses and better still dominate the enterprise.

A statement by the group and signed by its Convener, Henry Osei-Akoto said: “We will resist any such plans by the government by all lawful means, even at the peril of our very lives. Small scale mining must always remain the preserve of only Ghanaians and as such the Ashanti Youth for Development shall employ all lawful means to bring pressure to bear on the government to abandon its plans to unduly favor foreigners at the expense of hardworking Ghanaians.”

This comes on the heels of the impasse between government functionaries and embattled local mining firm,[Exton Cubic Group] over the company’s right to undertake bauxite prospecting in the Tano-Offin reserve.

But the group told a news conference Wednesday that the action by the Ashanti Regional Minister, the DCE and other parastatal state agencies to block Exton Cubic Group from mining bauxite in the Nyinahin enclave was “needless haunting of indigenous Ghanaian companies” working so hard to generate employment and provide livelihoods to Ghanaians.