Illegal Mining: ECOWAS Parliament Debates on Regional Regulatory Laws

• Parliamentarians at the ECOWAS parliament have begun a move to combat illegal mining in the sub-region of West Africa
• A joint committee on agriculture and mineral resources at the parliament rolled out a series of regulatory laws for consideration to combat this environmental ill
• These regulatory laws seek to protect wildlife, plastic waste management and afforestation

Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil society, courts, and metro

FCT, Abuja - Lawmakers at the ECOWAS Parliament have begun deliberation on regulatory laws to combat environmental degradation in the West African region.

The deliberations were made in Abuja on Thursday, November 23, by the parliament's joint committee on agriculture, environment and natural resources, legal affairs, human rights, social affairs, gender and women empowerment.

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At the deliberation observed by Legit.ng, parliamentarians highlighted several issues on illegal mining, wildlife trade, and plastic waste management.

Nigerian lawmaker calls for inclusion of mineral resources in concurrent

Speaking to Legit.ng on the issue of illegal mining in the region, Senator Sandy Ojang Onor (Nigeria), a member of the ECOWAS parliament, stated that there is a need for all stakeholders involved to synergise.

He said:

"There has to be increased synergy between the federal government and the state government on this.

"Mining should be something that should be located within the concurrent legislative list so that board can engage, that's the only way you can functionally regulate the mining processes, get the people who are landlords, you know, to these lands and minerals to also get involved and participate and ensure at the end of the day, that the mining processes are not used for meddling security and havoc.

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"Yes, such untoward consequences that come with mining. So that will be my position. The fact of making it exclusive is not acceptable. So that's how I see it."

Ghanaian MP calls for harmonised regulatory laws

Similarly, Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah (Ghana) revealed that there are laws in place to combat the anomaly of illegal mining, but there needs to be a concentration on harmonising these laws with the West African sub-region.

He said this would help solve the issue of administrative structure within the sub-regional countries.

The ECOWAS lawmaker said:

"Now if you have one standard role in each member state, it doesn't matter how the administrative structures are, but because you have a standard regulation that regulates all the activities in the mining sector adopted by the ECOWAS.

"Therefore, every country in the sub-region must adhere to it. And so we are working on the laws now to ensure it is passed irrespective of the structures."

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Similarly, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante (Nigeria), a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives and ECOWAS Parliament, reiterated that all the stakeholders must be treated with importance when it comes to the issue of illegal mining.

He said:

"What is necessary, what is needed, what should be done is to have a conversation around this issue with all the critical stakeholders, the states involved, the local government, the communities with the understanding that these resources belong to Nigeria and Nigerians.

"If we get that sorted, then there'll be control, there'll be regulation, and there'll be accountability in the entirety of the process."

ECOWAS parliament seeks lifting of sanctions against Niger Republic

In another report, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other heads of state in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been urged to lift the sanctions on Niger Republic.

Some parliamentarians of the ECOWAS parliament made this appeal on Tuesday, November 22.

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Meanwhile, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, has called for immediate action on military juntas in the region.

Source: Legit.ng