Calls for a national ban on small-scale mining have been vehemently denied by the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners’ leadership.
Following the tragic military helicopter crash near Adansi-Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region on August 6, eight officials—including two Ministers of State and multiple military officers—were killed while traveling to an event aimed at combating illegal mining and advancing ethical mining practices.
Defense Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammad, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong are among the victims of the crash.
Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, and Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala were also killed in the accident.
Some Ghanaians have called on the government to halt small-scale mining in the nation once again in the wake of the disaster.
The Association, however, disagrees, stating that rather than focusing on the mining industry, the attention should be directed toward identifying the precise cause of the disaster.
Michael Adu-Gyamfi, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the Association, stated in an interview with Channel One News on Wednesday, August 13, that small-scale mining is not related to the tragedy and called the calls for a ban “unfortunate.”
He also pleaded with the government to allocate funds to prevent a repeat of this disaster.
“We are very concerned about the calls from some Ghanaians following the helicopter crash, which seem to create the impression that there should be a ban on small-scale mining. We believe that linking the incident to small-scale miners is very unfortunate.”
“If you look at the incident, it is entirely different from small-scale mining, though we acknowledge and accept that they were on a mission for an event related to the sector. When you connect the two, it makes us lose focus. We should instead concentrate on identifying the actual causes of the accident,” he reiterated.
Source: newsthemegh.com