THE Acting Director of the Mining Department at the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Mrs Justine Seyire Dzadzra, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure that individuals and organisations with mining concessions obtain environmental permits from the EPA before being issued with business operating permits to commence mining activities.

She expressed concern that some MMDAs continue to issue operating permits to miners who have acquired concessions but have failed to meet the EPA’s environmental permitting requirements, thereby exposing communities to potential environmental hazards.

Mrs Dzadzra made the remarks yesterday at a stakeholder dialogue on the theme: “Beyond the Crackdown: A Policy Dialogue on Putting District Assemblies at the Heart of Mining Governance in Ghana.”

The event brought together experts from the Minerals Commission of Ghana, the media, security agencies and civil society organisations. It was organised by SysGlo/JPRS, the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies at the University of Ghana, and the Atiwa East District Assembly, to deliberate on and address the menace of illegal mining in the country.

She noted that despite challenges such as logistics and staff constraints, the EPA had consistently refused to grant environmental permits to miners whose proposed activities pose risks to human health and the environment.

According to her, MMDAs have the legal mandate to issue business operating permits, but must work closely with relevant regulatory bodies such as the EPA to verify all documentation before approval is granted.

Mrs Dzadzra outlined the EPA’s rigorous processes before issuing permits, including initial visits, field audits of mining sites, monitoring and compliance enforcement, review of applications and assessment reports, stakeholder consultations, environmental education, and investigations into mining-related complaints.

A Principal Consultant at Globe and System Solutions and JPRS Consulting, Dr John Boakye-Dankwah, also called for structural reforms in the mining sector through the decentralisation of licensing powers to the MMDAs.

He argued that local authorities should play a more active role in the issuance of mining concessions, as they are the first to experience the environmental impacts of mining activities within their jurisdictions.

Dr Boakye-Dankwah stressed that MMDAs are closer to the communities and are therefore better positioned to support effective regulation. He added that while enforcement is important, it is not sufficient on its own, hence the need to involve MMDAs more directly in the licensing process.

He further noted that the centralised approach to mining governance has not yielded significant results in tackling illegal mining, and urged the government to restructure the system, empower and resource MMDAs to play a stronger role in addressing the challenge.