Accredited Management Consultant Prof. Lawrence Lowell has sparked debate over the distinction between small-scale miners and illegal miners, commonly referred to as galamseyers, arguing that the two are fundamentally the same in terms of their environmental impact.
Speaking on Oyerepa Breakfast Time with Kwesi Parker-Wilson, Prof. Lowell asserted that both groups are engaged in similar mining activities that lead to environmental degradation, with the only difference being the possession of a legal permit.
“If we’re going to make demarcations to combat illegal miners (galamsey) and leave small-scale miners to go scot-free, then we’ve not done anything, because they are all doing the same work. The issue is that one has a license to destroy the lands and the other doesn’t,” he remarked.
His comments come at a time when government efforts to curb illegal mining continue to face scrutiny over their effectiveness and perceived selectiveness in enforcement.
Prof. Lowell questioned the rationale behind allowing licensed small-scale miners to operate with minimal oversight when their activities also contribute to deforestation, water pollution, and land degradation.
He called for a holistic approach to addressing the issue of environmental destruction caused by mining, insisting that all players in the sector—licensed or not—must be held to the same environmental standards.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com/Joseph Marfo
