Artisanal and Small-scale mining (ASM) in Sub-Saharan Africa has made great strides in generating employment and income. Despite the positive aspect of ASM, it is essential for efforts to be made to maximize the benefits of ASM and mitigate its cost.
It was against this background that the Department of Geological Engineering of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), under the auspices of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP), the Swedish International Development Agency (CIDA), the UNESCO and the University of Venda (UNIVEN) organised an International Workshop on Small Scale Mining.
The programme was under the theme: “The Quest for Pragmatic Solution to Complex Environmental and Health Problems of Small Scale Mining” and sought to bring into context: the social, economic and labour issues of small-scale mining, identify and appraise current small-scale mining and processing technologies and also to share knowledge and experience on major challenges of artisanal and small-scale miners in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In his welcome address, Prof. Mohammed Salifu who represented the Provost, College of Engineering as Chairman, said small-scale mining is a major development issue in Ghana and its damaging consequences has put government in a very challenging situation. He therefore entreated the participants to make the most of the workshop so that they can all contribute their quota to addressing the challenges that come with ASM in their various countries. He stated that the College of Engineering was proud to be associated with the programme.
Mr. Joseph Bioh, the Principal Officer in charge of small-scale mining in Kumasi, in a keynote address, said the workshop was one of the many being organised by various stakeholders in their bid to find pragmatic solutions to the complex challenges pertaining to the operations of small scale miners. According to him about 1,500,000 people are engaged in small-scale gold, diamond, sand winning and quarry industry.
He noted that improving the small-scale mining sub-sector requires the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders since a deepened stakeholder engagement is one of the surest ways of developing strategies to address the challenges that come with ASM.
The workshop facilitated the assessment of the nature and severity of the safety, health and environmental effects of small-scale mining. Participants also discussed the successes and the shortcomings of effort to regularise ASM and came up with an effective roadmap for raising the profile of small-scale mining.
