Responsible Small Scale Miners Association Speaks Out Against Illegal Mining
In a press conference held on September 15, 2024, the Responsible Small Scale Miners Association (RSSMA) expressed its support for the fight against illegal mining in Ghana. The association, which represents thousands of small scale miners, emphasized the need to distinguish between legal and illegal mining operations.
“We support the call for aggressive eradication of all forms of illegal mining destroying our water bodies and other natural conservation,” said Philip Bawah, National President of RSSMA. “However, we disagree with the call for a freeze on all small scale mining. This is a misguided approach that will only harm responsible miners who are operating within the law.”
The association criticized the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for calling for a ban on small scale mining, saying it was a “wrongful diagnosis of a national challenge.” RSSMA argued that the focus should be on addressing the root causes of illegal mining, including the lack of effective supervision by the Minerals Commission.
“We need to focus on dealing with the illegality and stop calling for the freeze or ban of legal small scale mining,” Bawah said. “We will resist any attempt to include responsible and legal small scale mining in the calls for a ban.”
The association also pointed out that a ban on small scale mining would have devastating consequences for the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaians who depend on the industry.
“We cannot afford to throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Bawah said. “We need to find solutions that will address the problem of illegal mining without harming responsible miners.”
RSSMA committed to supporting the government in its efforts to combat illegal mining and called on the Minerals Commission to step up its supervision of mining operations.
“We will work with the government to find solutions to this problem,” Bawah said. “But we will not stand idly by while responsible miners are unfairly targeted.”
