Ghana’s government has announced the lifting of the ban on small scale mining from December 17.
The lifting of the ban will only cover those who have had their concessions validated after vetting of small scale mining in the West African country.
Ghana’s Environment, Science and Technology Minister Frimpong Boateng announced this in the capital Accra on Friday.
Companies that have had their concessions validated are expected to be published in the newspapers to ensure compliance.
The West African country in 2017 banned small scale artisanal mining following the widespread devastation of water resources and forest reserves as a result of the activities of illegal mining.
Over three thousand small scale miners have so far been validated following the lifting of the ban.
The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) in February revealed that the industry has lost some US$ 551million as result of the ban.
They had earlier embarked on several protests to call for the lifting of the ban.
Source: Africafeeds.com