The Minerals Development Fund rolled out its first modular sustainable mining site in Ahafo, aiming to curb water and land degradation from small‑scale gold mining.

Administrator Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw Kotei said the Modular Sustainable Mining Turnkey Initiative (MDFMSMTI) employs green technologies, closed‑loop water recycling and mercury‑free gold processing to transform mining into a regenerative activity.

The site – named RoyzGold Eco Dig – was launched in partnership with RoyzGold, a local small‑scale mining company, and marks the first of several planned modular facilities across Ghana.

According to Dr Kotei, the project integrates land reclamation and biodiversity conservation, converting previously degraded land into restored soil and habitats.

Built on a previously mined area, the site’s layout was chosen after geological surveys. Tailings dams equipped with filtration canals treat wash water, which is then recycled to supply boreholes for ongoing operations.

The new process eliminates mercury and cyanide, using a shaking‑board technique that retains up to ninety percent of gold. “The process helps us attract all the gold. We lose about ten percent, which is still more profitable than using mercury or cyanide,” said James Opoku, CEO of Lion King Engineering and Mining Support Services, which designed and constructed the facility.

Infrastructure includes paved roads, an office complex, workers’ quarters and security checkpoints, all built by the Ghanaian‑managed Lion King Engineering.

The Ghana National Association of Small‑Scale Miners welcomed the initiative. “In the absence of a government‑backed framework, miners resorted to crude methods that destroyed the environment. Our members adopted foreign technology out of necessity, not defiance,” said Richard Graham Okine, the association’s representative at the launch.

Okine added that the association plans to replicate the technology at other sites, noting that miners are “ready and prepared to accept the initiative MDF has introduced.”

The MDF, established in 2016 to mitigate mining’s negative impacts, has made this modular approach a cornerstone of its mandate, signalling a permanent solution to the health and environmental hazards posed by illegal and unsustainable mining practices.

Monitoring will continue as additional sites are rolled out, with officials promising regular assessments to ensure water quality, land restoration and community benefits are sustained.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE