The government has intensified its fight against illegal mining by adopting technological innovations to monitor mining equipment and concessions.

To this end, the government has developed a digital portal known as “Medaase Mining Ghana” which has a QR Code detailing the location and sizes of mining concessions across the country.

The government will also from January next year fix tracking devices on all mining excavators while the Minerals Commission has created a situational room to monitor the movement of these excavators to ensure they operate within certified mining concessions.

A deputy minister in charge of Mines at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker announced this at a media briefing in Accra on Wednesday (8 December) to update the public on the government’s fight against illegal mining.

According to him, any mining excavator that moves out of a mining concession would be de-activated unless a tangible explanation is given before its re-activation.

“These licences, displayed in the offices of these concessioners. Sometimes they either lock the office and bolt or even get security to prevent you from entering the office. So, in view of that, what we’ve done is to create a signpost out of the signpost.

“A QR code is generated, as it is being shown to you. A skill is put on the QR code, then the details of that concession will be displayed and you will know whether it is a legal concession or not. So, there wouldn’t be any need of you, wanting to enter the offices of that concession,” he stated.