The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has indicated that the government will not give up on the fight against illegal mining popularly called galamsey.

According to Samuel Abu Jinapor, government is initiating more interventions to help in the fight against illegal mining in the country.

The Minister was speaking in Sunyani during the opening of a 2-day Transformational Dialogue organized by the University of Energy and Natural Resources on Small-Scale Mining.

“We are resourcing the Ghana Geological Survey to undertake more geological operations to block out areas of small-scale mining. We are doing this to ensure that small-scale mining becomes sustainable and responsible. Those who have vowed to ignore all stringent measures and continue with the illegalities, we are strengthening the law enforcement regime by increasing the punishment for convicted persons engaged in illegal mining,” he cautioned.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Professor Elvis Asare Bediako speaking at the programme said if small-scale mining is done responsively it could take many people out of poverty.

“The artisanal sub-sector alone provides livelihoods of over 100 million jobs to people. The artisanal sub-sector has the potential to lift many rural people out of poverty,” he stated.