Local Mining Contractors accuse Minerals Commission of collapsing their businesses with outrageous charges
Over 200 members of the Association of
Local Mining Contractors of Ghana have accused the Minerals Commission of
working against Government’s drive to sanitize Ghana’s mining sector and
collapsing local businesses.
The aggrieved members are also kicking
against new fees introduced by the Minerals Commission, which is charged for
obtaining renewable operational permits.
According to the Association, its
members usually go through difficulty when acquiring operational permit to work
in mining companies as they are made to pay huge sums before they are given the
permit.
Leadership of the Association explained
that its members are now made to pay additional $10,000 aside from the fee of
GHS 5,000 to acquire a permit to be able to work with mining companies in
Ghana.
In 2019, aggrieved Local Contractors
working for Newmont Goldcorp formally Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, wrote to the Ministry
of Lands and Natural Resources to get the Minerals Commission to maintain
previous rates charged by Contractors providing services for Newmont Goldcorp.
The contractors in the petition
explained that Local Companies were charged an amount of GHS 10,000 per annum
and the Sole Proprietors were charged GHS 5,000 for acquisition of the Minerals
Commission permit to enable them to render services to the Mining Companies.
The Contractors stated that the charges
were astronomically increased and Local Companies were expected to pay more
than GHS 50,000, while the Sole Proprietor was also expected to pay GHS 25,000
which it said was more than 500% increment before they could acquire the
permit.
The group in its petition described as
illogical, a decision by the Commission to charge contractors in US dollars
when they are paid in Ghana Cedis when they render services to mining companies
in Ghana.
The parent Association addressing a news
conference in Kumasi maintained that the Minerals Commission is out to collapse
local businesses in Ghana.
Vice Chairman of the Association, Romeo
Wilson, called for the establishment of an independent committee to investigate
activities of the Commission.
“We feel the Minerals Commission is
working against the Government by collapsing local businesses. If at the end of
the day, the Government is trying to stop Galamsey [Illegal Mining] in the
mining areas, galamsey is rife. Up to today, the Government is still fighting
that Galamsey issue. And if Government is doing all these things and the
Minerals Commission is also demanding such amounts from us, indirectly, you are
telling us to go out of business for Galamsey to run.”
“At least when we started our
businesses, we have pulled a lot of these potential Galamseyers and now they
earn decent monies to take care of their families and their needs. And if we
are doing this to help the Government to bridge the unemployment gap and you,
on the other hand, you are also working to collapse our business, then what are
you doing? You are killing our businesses,” he fumed
The Association has demanded that the
government must as a matter of urgency investigate the Minerals Commission and review
the rates charged local contractors in the acquisition of mining permits.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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