Accra, July 29, GNA - The Precious Minerals Marketing Company Limited (PMMC) has since 1989 realised over 600,000 ounces of gold valued at 200 million dollars from artisanal miners.

The miners, including galamsey operators, have also made available to the company about 7.3 carats of diamonds valued at 170 million dollars since the legalisation of small-scale mining in 1989.

Mr George Asante, Deputy Managing Director, PMMC who said this in Accra on Tuesday said artisanal mining in Ghana, popularly called galamsey, has contributed immensely to the discovery of rich deposits of minerals.

He said given the right legal and institutional framework as well as technical and financial support, artisanal mining could contribute to poverty alleviation through the encouragement of alternative economic activities for sustainable development.

Mr Asante was speaking on the topic "Socio-economic importance of artisanal mining in Ghana" at a two-day workshop organized by the Ministry of Environment and Science on Artisanal Mining - Its Economic Importance and Effect on the Environment.

He said the socio-economic benefits would be realised if comprehensive reforms were initiated to improve the conditions of miners and to transform artisanal mining into orderly, safe, technically sound and environmentally sustainable small-scale mining.

"The realisation that artisanal mining is largely a poverty-driven economic activity demands a co-ordinated and collaborative approach, which is geared towards poverty alleviation, improving knowledge and skills as well as improving mining systems from production to marketing," Mr Asante said.

He said a viable artisanal mining sector would stem the rural-urban drift if properly organized and managed.

Professor Kasim Kasanga, Minister for Environment and Science, said government had no intention of discouraging small-scale mining. Instead it would regulate and control the sector to bring out the economic impacts.

He said it was government's policy to encourage and promote Ghanaian entrepreneurs who enter all lawful ventures with the economic potentials within the country.

Prof. Kasanga, however, cautioned the small-scale miners to ensure that their activities did not affect the environment negatively.

"If our small-scale miners continue to carry out their mining operations in the way they are doing it now without adopting concrete measures to address environmental issues, the deplorable conditions they create will worsen and exacerbate the poverty situation," he said.