Small-Scale Miners Warn Ban Would Harm Ghana's Economy

Ghana's small miners fired back at government threats about shutting down gold digging operations across the country. The mining group says any complete ban would crush the gold business and wreck the national economy. Michael Adugyamfi leads the association and made his case during a radio show Wednesday afternoon. He told listeners that Ghana makes most of its money from mining operations. The government needs to fix mining problems instead of stopping all digging activities.

Adugyamfi appeared on OTEC radio station talking to host Prince Nii Ardey during the political program called Dwabrem. He pushed for teamwork between miners and government officials to make the industry work better. The association leader said government workers already know that small miners help the economy grow stronger. Officials should work with miners rather than fight against them. Everyone needs to cooperate if Ghana wants to keep making money from gold.

The miners group hates illegal digging just as much as government leaders do. Adugyamfi wants authorities to teach and help people who break mining laws instead of just punishing them. He believes education works better than arrests for solving the illegal mining crisis. The association promises to help government stop unlawful digging activities. However the group will fight back hard if officials try to ban all mining work completely.