Federation of Ghana Goldsmith and Jewelers Association (FGJA) is calling for legal backing to enable the industry insulate effects of government’s regulatory activities on  the jewelers main source of raw materials—small scale miners.

As it is now with the government’s current ban on small scale mining in the country, the President of FGJA, Mr. Slovan Srodah said the Jewelry industry was already neck deep sinking. ‘It has already collapsed because our source of raw material—small scale miners—are tagged as illegal miners and banned them from work. ‘Our only source of raw materials now is people who sell their own ornaments to us.’

But, the laws of the country need to come clear on the jewelry industry. ‘We do not know much about the law, but CAP 149 established in 1909, and the PNDC law 219; the two though culminated into the Precious Mineral Mining Company (PMMC) to promote and facilitate the jewelry industry; the Mineral and Mining Act 900 is silent about the jewelry industry. Its Section 88 only mentioned that you can sell your jewelry, your artifact, your gold coin to an authorised agent. But that authorised agent too is small scale miner. You see the ambiguity?’