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Speaking to small-scale miners and youth groups in Tarkwa during the final day of his campaign tour to the Western Region, Dr. Bawumia outlined his government's policy aimed at improving the livelihoods of miners and boosting their incomes.
Dr. Bawumia assured that rather than pursuing small-scale miners and confiscating their equipment, his government would provide them with legal support and equipment for mining.
"We will allocate the mining concessions to the small-scale miners. My primary focus is to make many small-scale miners millionaires and multi-millionaires. I want to support our small-scale miners," he declared.
"We will formalize the small-scale mining regime and issue licenses. Everyone will register with the Small Scale Miners Association using their Ghana card. We will increase the presence of the Minerals Commission and the EPA, ensuring that every district has representation. Where there is currently none, we will establish it," he promised.
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The NPP flagbearer also announced plans to establish a mining committee in every district, which would grant temporary licenses in consultation with local chiefs.
He highlighted the current lack of involvement of traditional authorities in mining licensing, identifying it as a significant challenge facing the Small-Scale Mining Sector.
He stated: "We want to formalize small-scale mining, but we can only be successful with the participation of Chiefs. The chiefs have to be part of the licensing of miners in their locality. They have to be part of the whole process. And so, we have to make the necessary amendments to the Mining Act to do all of this. Decentralize the Mineral Commission to be in the various districts, decentralize the Environmental Protection Agency."