The Ghana Chamber of Mines wants the practice where companies are granted mining licenses even before they begin prospecting to stop.
Chief Executive Officer, Sulemanu Koney says this was necessary to promote responsible mining and sustainability of the sector.
Addressing a stakeholders forum organized by the Chamber, he observed some companies received mining licenses even without undertaking prospecting, adding this contravened the country’s mining laws, which required that companies undertook prospecting before being granted licenses to mine.
He said such acts led to speculative mining, which destroyed the environment, as the companies involved might not discover gold in commercially viable quantities and would not have the resources to reclaim the land.
He noted that ensuring that companies undertook prospecting before being granted mining licenses would also contribute to the fight against illegal mining by helping to ensure the protection of the environment.
The call comes after a two month renewal of a ban on small scale mining in the country put in place by the Akufo-Addo administration to reverse the destruction of the environment by illegal mining.
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