Accra — Last week the performance of the mining industry and its overall contribution to the national economy came under serious scrutiny from all angles.

A World Bank report, which was given wide publicity in the Weekend Agenda, concluded that the inherent risks and costs of developing the mining sector has long term environmental hazards, health risks, property taking and changes to tradition and culture, besides denying the communities a fair share of the proceeds.

The same Weekend Agenda carried a story in the inside pages on the lamentation of Thomas Akabza, a Geologist who pointed out that the country has gained very little from mining.

In the view of Akabza, while countries like South Africa and Canada have infrastructure, sky scrappers and an improved standard of living of people living in mining areas as concrete examples , the same could not be said about Ghana, once called the Gold Coast.

The World Bank's conclusion and the criticism of Akabza, tie in with growing public anger against the mining industry. Last week the National Coalition of Civil Society Groups Against Mining in Forest Reserves declared its readiness to oppose plans by government to release large parcels of the country's dwindling forest reserves for more mining.

Given the fact that mining is viewed not to have contributed meaningfully to the lives of Ghanaians, especially the communities in which they operate, Public Agenda questions the scientific, social and economic justification for government's intended action.

This paper has learnt that government's hands are tied because of a contractual agreement the previous government entered with the mining companies that are demanding the release of the concessions. We are of the view that it is better for the government to refund the money to the companies, rather than giving out the concessions for them to destroy the remaining forest reserves in the name of investment.

For sometime now the Chamber of Mines has been complaining about tight mining laws that have discouraged new mining companies from investing in Ghana. Public Agenda thinks the drop in fresh investment in mining is good riddance, since more forests would be saved from devastating activities of mining.

Far from saying mining has no good sides, it is the view of this paper that the companies can do better by way of improving their methods of operation and investing more in the well being of the communities they operate in.

The ball is in the court of the mining companies. They must show a lot more commitment to improving their work ethics and widen their social responsibility spending to cover a broad section of society, if they want society to take them serious. Records show that a lot of mining proceeds have been repatriated abroad since mining started in Ghana in the 1890s. It is time for Ghanaians to benefit from mining.