The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin Ayisi has justified the need for the issuance of licenses to Small Scale Miners despite calls by well-meaning Ghanaians on the government to stop all forms of small-scale and illegal mining.

The Minerals Commission’s boss made the statement when he appeared before the Assurances Committee of Parliament to respond to his outfit’s role in the issuance of mining licenses to small-scale miners, the upsurge in illegal mining as well as measures geared towards curtailing the menace in the country.

Mr. Ayisi opined that a move to stop issuing licenses to small-scale miners would worsen the situation, adding that delayed license issuance has been a major contributing factor to the illegal mining crisis.

He said, “When you don’t give them the licenses, what they would do is that they will go and do it illegally.” “To say we shouldn’t grant licenses that will be a problem.”

Additionally, he stated that in 2018 when the government placed a complete ban on small-scale mining, Ghana recorded 48% of small-scale production in the history of the country where Ghana toppled South Africa.

He explained that, for one to obtain a license or authorization for small-scale mining, one must go through the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Forestry Commission among others, and stressed that failure to obtain licenses from any amounts to illegal mining.

He indicated that as a regulator, the Commission is mandated to conduct site inspections and report to the District Assemblies for the Regional Security Council to deploy security to arrest the illegal miners.

“The solution to illegal mining is by investing millions of dollars into Geological Surveys Authority, the government explorers.”

He told the committee that anybody who mines in any river body, or forest reserves is engaged in criminal activity emphasizing that, the Commission will not issue a license to anybody to pollute and degrade the forest.

However, the Chairman of the Assurance Committee and MP for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa raised issues from an alleged report where a small-scale mining firm called Akonta Mines Limited has breached the mining law by destroying the Samraboi concession.