The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners Association has welcomed the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources’ order for the registration of all excavators in the country.

In an interview with Citi News, the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, Godwin Armah, however, said the period for registration is inadequate.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in a statement ordered owners of excavators to, within seven working days, register their excavators at their respective Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies as part of measures to combat illegal mining.

But the small-scale miners are unhappy with the short period for the directive.

“I think the seven days will be difficult, but we can start. I don’t know whether it is with the tracking because most of the machines, as the law says, have been registered. Most of them have been registered but with the tracking, they [Minerals Commission] did a pilot, and we have seen that it will work, but it will take some time.”

He however cautioned his members who own excavators to do well to register them in accordance with the Ministry’s directives.

As part of the registration, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are to record the name and particulars of the owner of the excavator, the date the excavator was brought into the country, the registration number, the chassis number, the purposes for which the excavator was brought into the country, the area where the excavator is expected to be used and the name and particulars of the current operator and user of the excavator.