ACCRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ghana has suspended the renewal of mining licenses to small-scale miners due to the destructive nature illegal mining activities pose to the environment.
Lands and Natural Resources Minister Peter Amewu announced here Wednesday that the government had also placed a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses to small-scale miners.
Amewu, speaking on an Accra-based television station, observed that the measures would be in force until sanity prevailed in the mining sector.
The activities of illegal small-scale mining has caused destruction to several hectares of the country's arable land and polluted major aquatic bodies and other natural resources.
Some environmentalists have predicted the country risked importing food and water from abroad in the near future if the situation persists.
This has therefore attracted national discussion with calls on the Ghanaian government to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners.
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister further said the fight against the menace had failed in the past due to non-enforcement of the laws.
He expressed the commitment of the government to step up the fight to save the country's environment. Enditem
