• Ghana is the leading producer of gold in Africa
• Illegal mining practices have been destroying water bodies
• NALEP has been introduced to provide jobs for illegal miners
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said available data showed that the small-scale mining industry accounted for more than 40 percent of the country’s gold exports.
According to him, the sector when will be sensitised plays a critical role in making Ghana the leading producer of gold in Africa.
Speaking at the launch of the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NALEP) on Monday, October 25, 2021, president Akufo-Addo acknowledged that the lives of several people, including women and children, depend on illegal mining.
“Small-scale mining must, therefore, be promoted and encouraged, and we will do all that is necessary to promote it for our collective benefit. What we cannot do, and will not allow it to happen, is to permit mining activities that threaten the environment which sustains our lives and the lives and livelihoods of generations yet unborn,” he said.
“It is important to let you know that we owe it as a sacred duty to protect the environment, even as we reap the benefits of our natural resources. Small-scale mining can and must only be done responsibly,” the President added.
Meanwhile, the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme is seeking to provide some 220,000 illegal miners with gainful employment.
Beneficiaries will be allocated space and technical assistance by geologists, mining engineers and other experts to carry out responsible mining activities to protect lives and the environment.