New Minerals Commission Office To Strengthen Fight Against Galamsey.

The fight against illegal mining in the Ashanti Region is expected to receive a major boost following the commissioning of a new Minerals Commission office in Kumasi.

Officials say the decentralisation of regulatory services will bring supervision closer to mining communities and strengthen efforts to tackle illegal mining and its impact on forests, water bodies and farmlands.

For more than four decades, the regulation of Ghana’s mineral resources has largely been centralised in Accra, forcing mining firms and other stakeholders in the regions to travel long distances to access key regulatory services.
That is now changing.

The Chief executive officer of the mineral commission Issac Andrew Tandoh said the new facility in Kumasi will serve as the Minerals Commission’s regulatory hub for the Ashanti, Bono and Ahafo regions, bringing licensing, inspection, technical services and regulatory oversight closer to mining areas.

The Deputy minister for lands and natural resources Alahaji Yussif Suleman said the commissioning comes amid government’s plans to tighten regulation of Ghana’s mining sector.

For the Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene , the new facility could not have come at a more critical time.

Illegal mining continues to threaten the region’s forests and water bodies, while abandoned mining pits have also become deadly traps for residents.

He believes bringing the Commission closer to communities will strengthen supervision and monitoring.

Story by BismarkMensah@A/R.