Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is seeking to raise some $200 million from donors for the implementation of the Multi- Sectorial Mining Integration Project which seeks to ensure sustainable mining in the country.
Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the Africa Conference on Artisanal and Small-Scale and Quarrying held in Accra, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu said his outfit needs 200 million dollars to achieve that aim.
“Reclamation of land is very expensive, aside from that there is the need not train only those you see around here, but to train the thousands of Ghanaians already involved in mining and all that is expensive.â€
“It is also to help have a regime where we can enhance the capacity of the sector agencies like the Minerals Commission and the Forestry Commission,†he added.
The World Bank and the Australian government have already committed $30 million and $500,000 respectively for the implementation of the project
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The Multi- Sectorial Mining Integration Project was launched last year in the wake of illegal mining popularly called galamsey which destroyed several acres of land across the country.
The Multi- Sectorial Mining Integrated Project according to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, contains strategies that will help to reclaim lands destroyed through illegal mining activities.
It also entails the provision of technical training of artisans and small scale miners and how technology can be incorporated into small scale mining to ensure sustainable and environmentally friendly mining activities.
The Inter- ministerial Committee on mining earlier put together a roadmap that will offer short term solution for illegal mining.
The Multi-sectorial Mining Integrated Project on the other hand is a long term approach to ensuring sustainable mining in the country. Implementation of the project will be done within a five year period.