FRANCIS ADUKONU, TAKORADI
One of our biggest problems as a country is that people begin to do things without first assessing the viability of whatever enterprise they are engaging themselves in.
That aside, one major factor that is driving young people to engage in galamsey is poverty. It is, however, sad that after many years, following the discoveries of gold and other natural resources, Ghanaians have as yet not been able to master and take control of the mining industry.
Many of the young men and women who take to galamsey die in their quest to look for their daily bread in their bid to cater for their immediate and extended families, having exhausted all other avenues in their job search.
I understand that the Mineral Commission has put in place measures to ensure the regularisation of galamsey operations. But the point is, how easy and accessible are the registration and the documentation processes?
It was about time that a fund was set up for the training of these young Ghanaians in the areas of mining and safety as a way of ameliorating the frequent deaths that occur at the mines.
One of the things that should have been done long ago was to ensure the transfer of skills to the indigenous people. As things stand now, the people keep practising galamsey using old and uncouth methods for extracting the mineral.
They have genuine interest in the mine work. Therefore, let us not only regularise mining and make it legal, but also give them the needed skills to ensure that they operate in a very safe and acceptable manner.
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