Parliament has finally passed the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after its Third Reading.
The motion on the Third Reading of the Bill was moved by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, and seconded by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy and Member of Parliament for Odotobri, Mr. Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi.
The objective of the Bill seeks to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), to increase the penalties for a person who buys or sells minerals without a licence or without a valid authority, and to increase the penalties for a person who engages in illegal mining.
The Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Bill, 2019, seeks to amend two Clauses; Clause 1 and Clause 2 of the Bill.
Clause 1 of the Bill amends Section 81 of Act 703 to extend the application of Section 99 to cover other forms of illegal mining in addition to illegal small scale mining.
Clause 2 of the Bill amends Section 99 of Act 703; Sub-clauses 1 to 5 increases the penalty for persons, both locals and foreigners, who engage in illegal mining operations.
Sub-clauses 6 and 7 criminalise activities of persons who provide various support services to illegal miners while Sub-clauses 8 to 10 provide for the seizure and disposal of equipment and product used for illegal mining operations.
The Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was laid in Parliament on July, 2019 by the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Benito Owusu-Bio, pursuant to Article 106(1) of the Constitution.
The Bill was subsequently referred to Paliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy for consideration and report pursuant to Article 106(4) of the Constitution and Order 188 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
