The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II has rejected government’s community mining initiative instituted by the inter-ministerial committee on mining as an alternative to illegal mining.

The traditional leader says he does not trust that best mining practices will be adhered to adding that the policy contradicts the planting for food and jobs initiative, ABC News can report.

He has however suggested to government to channel more resources into the planting for food and jobs initiative instead of venturing into mining for communities.

He made the call when the Lands and Natural Resources minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, paid a courtesy call on him at Kyebi on Monday, July 30, 2019.

“Community for mining and planting for food and jobs cannot co-exist. It can’t be possible for you to be mining and planting at the same time. How do you expect me to have the confidence that it will work out well? I am worried not because it’s a new policy, I am wondering if we will achieve different results,” he lamented.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 25th July, 2019, launched the Community Mining Programme at Wassa Akropong in the Western Region.

The Community Mining Programme is aimed at formalizing mining in selected communities across the country with at least one community mine expected to be set up in each of the mining districts in the country.

The community mines are expected to provide employment for more than 4,500 miners trained by Government at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa.

Unlike the Okyenhene, President Akufo-Addo believes “mining will be done the right way, within the tenets of the law, and will not destroy our natural resources.”