Members of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners have demanded the resignation of their executives.
In a press statement, the members accused the executives of neglecting the welfare of small-scale miners since their election four years ago.
The accusations include failure to provide accountability to association members, non-compliance with constitutional provisions in managing the association’s affairs, and exploiting the general membership for personal gain.
The leaders were again accused of “allocating 30 out of 90 concessions designated for national distribution to certain executives, gross disregard for the general membership, exhibiting unprecedented levels of greed and ineffective leadership disintegrating the association.”
The members believe that these actions have hindered the growth of the small-scale miners association.
“How can you move forward if you are unable to meet to discuss plans or even review plans that have been discussed to shape your actions? We are therefore by this statement demanding the immediate removal of our executives to step aside for an interim team to take over to reorganise the association.”
“With these leaders, our quest to have a sanitised and united front to deal with the challenges our association faces especially with illegal miners who do not belong to us, will be a fight in vain,” the statement read.
The small-scale miners have urged the Minerals Commission to intervene and issued a two-week ultimatum.
The members insist on having a leadership that is prepared to collaborate with all licensed miners.
“We as a group should be leading the fight against illegal mining but if we do not have accountable leaders, this fight will be lost. We will take further steps if our call for emergency elections to remove our current executives is not adhered to in two weeks,” they added.
Read the full statement below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE REMOVAL OF GNASSM EXECUTIVES
Good day, members of the media. This statement is coming from concerned members of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners about how our association is being run by our executives.
Leadership is bestowed on people to help in pushing the agenda and welfare of the members of a group.
However, for us in the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, our leaders seem to have a mind of their own since their election into office 4 years ago.
As members, we have observed the following since the executives came into office;
1. Lack of accountability.
2. Failure to adhere to the constitutional provisions in the administration of the association’s affairs.
3. Exploiting the rank and file for personal gain.
4. Allocating 30 out of 90 concessions designated for national distribution to certain executives.
5. Gross disregard for the general membership.
6. Exhibiting unprecedented levels of greed.
7. Ineffective leadership resulting in the disintegration of the association.
As members, we feel these things we have observed above, are the cause of the stagnated growth of the association.
How can you move forward if you are unable to meet to discuss plans or even review plans that have been discussed in order to shape your actions?
We are therefore by this statement demanding the immediate removal of our executives to step aside for an interim team to take over to reorganise the association.
With these leaders, our quest to have a sanitized and united front to deal with the challenges our association faces especially with illegal miners who do not belong to us, will be a fight in vain.
We call on the Minerals Commission to intervene as a matter of urgency to ensure we have a leadership that is ready to work with all licensed miners.
We as a group should be leading the fight against illegal mining but if we do not have accountable leaders, this fight will be lost.
We will take further steps if our call for emergency elections to remove our current executives is not adhered to in two weeks.
For further information, please contact
Philip K. A. Bawah: 0243310076
– Daniel Kwaku Mensah: 0248732972
– Yaw Amoafo: 0246453359