The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that communities affected by mining activities directly benefit from the sector’s proceeds, as part of a new policy direction.
Speaking on JoyPrime’s Prime Morning Show on Monday, September 1, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Paa Kwasi Schandorf, outlined a new approach aimed at addressing long-standing concerns over the exclusion of local communities from the economic gains of mining.
“This is basically the new approach now,” Mr Schandorf stated. “There is a profit-sharing formula. Essentially, what we do not want is a situation where the whole process of mining prospecting, excavation will be successful, yet the proceeds will not benefit the local people. That has always been a problem.”
According to Mr Schandorf, the Ministry is shifting its emphasis towards local content development and ensuring that mining profits trickle down to residents in mining areas.
He stressed that host communities should experience tangible improvements in social infrastructure and livelihoods as a result of resource extraction in their localities.
“If its [mining] is done within a particular place, it should naturally be able to help them amend their roads that have become problematic,” he said.
Mr Paa Kwasi Schandorf stated that the government’s new approach to managing mining revenues places strong emphasis on channelling proceeds into improving local infrastructure, education, and basic social amenities.
“Those who have issues with educational facilities, social amenities – all of those things should be prepped up after the proceeds have been obtained. We will detail it as we progress.”