(VIDEO) New Mining Law Will Give Communities Greater Say in Mining Decisions – Lands Minister
Proposed reforms will give mining communities a stronger voice in licence decisions.
- Community voice: District committees to assess mining proposals.
- Decentralisation: Mining services to move closer to communities.
- Damang office: New centre opened in the Western Region.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, says the government’s proposed reforms to Ghana’s mining laws will give local communities greater participation in decisions concerning mining activities in their areas.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Damang District Minerals Commission Office in the Western Region, the Minister said the reforms formed part of government’s commitment to ensuring responsible and sustainable management of the country’s mineral resources.
He said for many years, communities have had little or no involvement in decisions to grant mining licences, with most processes being handled from the Minerals Commission’s headquarters in Accra.
According to him, the new law will introduce District Mining Committees comprising chiefs, community leaders, Assembly Members, Environmental Protection Agency officials and other relevant stakeholders.
He explained that applicants seeking mining licences will first have to engage the committees, which will visit and assess the proposed mining sites.
Only after the district-level assessment will recommendations be forwarded to the Minerals Commission for further consideration.
He said the establishment of the Damang District Minerals Commission Office was therefore part of efforts to decentralize mining services and ensure that residents could access essential services without travelling to Accra.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Isaac Andrews Tandoh, said the commissioning of the Damang District Office marks a significant milestone in efforts to transform the governance and administration of Ghana’s mineral resources.
He described the office as a physical manifestation of the Commission’s commitment to modernizing mineral administration and decentralizing its operations.
Mr. Tandoh said the Minerals Commission had for years been perceived as a distant regulatory authority operating mainly from Accra, but the establishment of district offices was intended to change that narrative.
He said the Damang office would serve as a key operational centre for the Commission in the Western Region, bringing essential services closer to mining communities.
