Business News of Monday, 3 August 2015

Source: GNA

Sub-committees to man activities of mining

Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, Dep. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, Dep. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources

Madam Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has sworn in two sub-committee to man the activities of small scale mining.

Each of the committees have five members for the Birim South District and the Birim Central Municipality.

The committees members are made up of chiefs, District Chief Executives, staff of Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Madam Serwaa Asamoah, speaking to the Ghana News Agency after the inauguration, said the committees would be responsible for educating the miners on environmental protection and against hazardous chemicals and the effects it has on their lives.

She urged the committee members to take into account other social responsibilities, like the provision of school buildings, clinics and markets, among others.

She said the Ministry would assess the performance of the committees every three years, using a monitoring mechanism.

The Deputy Minister appealed to every Ghanaian to support the Ministry in its effort to curb illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.