Call for decisive action to halt illegal minin

Efforts to stop illegal mining in Africa must be intensified as the practice is costing the continent billions. According to Roger Baxter, CEO of the Minerals Council South Africa, illegal mining in South Africa alone is costing an estimated R20 billion a year. Zama Zamas, the term used in South Africa for artisanal miners who conduct illegal mining in mines that have been discontinued, have been on the increase with mining activities yielding enough product for export. “Illegal mining is a grave concern and we are seeing that it is taking place increasingly in operating mines and not only abandoned mines. We need to take action on this,” said Baxter. In Ghana the practice known as galamsey has become so rife the government has introduced a two-year ban on all
small-scale mining to allow the country to sanitise the sector and introduce regulation to deal with the scourge of illegal miners. “It is the dark side of mining – not only costing billions in lost revenue but also posing a health and safety risk to our people,” said Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo. “Illegal mining is also leading to alarming degradation of our lands and water on this continent.” He said illegal mining incorporated largescale operations using sophisticated equipment and machines often run by foreign criminal syndicates. No longer was it about finding a few lucky bits of mineral in abandoned mines, but large-scale exporting operations. “We are determined in Ghana to strengthen the regulatory framework of mining to make sure that galamsey disappears,” said Akufo-Addo.