Mr Sulemanu Koney, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, who made the call at a stakeholders’ forum in Tamale, said this was necessary to promote responsible mining and sustainability of the sector.

The forum, organized by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, and attended by journalists and natural resource students from the University for Development Studies, formed part of the Chamber’s efforts to update stakeholders on the developments in the country’s mining industry.

This year’s forum was on the theme: “Deepening the Integration of the Mining Industry into the Non-mineral Economy”.  Mr Koney said the Ghana Chamber of Mines had realized that some companies received mining licenses even without undertaking prospecting, adding this contravened the country’s mining laws, which required that companies undertook prospecting before being granted licenses to mine.

He said such acts led to speculative mining, which destroyed the environment, as the companies involved might not discover gold in commercially viable quantities and would not have the resources to reclaim the land.

He said ensuring that companies undertook prospecting before being granted mining licenses would also contribute to the fight against illegal mining by helping to ensure the protection of the environment.

Early this year, the government banned small scale mining in a bid to fight illegal mining, which was causing havoc to the environment and water bodies. Mr Koney said the Ghana Chamber of Mines would soon launch a local content portal to publish opportunities in the mining industry for local companies to take advantage of.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Chamber of Mines has donated GHc10,000.00 to the Dakpema Education Endowment Fund to help support the education of needy but brilliant children in the Tamale Metropolis.

Mr Koney, who presented the gift to Dakpema Naa Alhassan Dawuni, a Tamale Chief at his palace in Tamale, said it was in line with the Ghana Chamber of Mines’ belief to promote sustainability through investing in education especially for the young ones.