Government to audit mining operations

A comprehensive policy to enable the government to withdraw operating licences of mining companies that do not comply with their environmental and social assessment obligations, is in the offing. The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Shirley Ayitey, said the introduction of the policy would make it possible for the government to "audit" the operations of mining companies before deciding whether they were qualified to continue operations or not. Ms Ayitey made this known when she paid a working visit to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office in Accra. She was accompanied by her deputy, Dr Edward Omani Boamah. Ms Ayitey said the proposed policy was necessitated by the persistent destruction of the forest and the pollution of water bodies by mining companies. Additionally, she said, mining companies did not honour their social obligations that required them to replant trees and build health centres for members of the community. Ms Ayitey said the proposed policy was an attempt to "protect lives and conserve the environment for future generations". "Before mining companies start operations, environmental and social assessment should be the criterion," she stressed. She said the protection

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