The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is poised to revoke nearly a thousand small-scale mining licences in a sweeping move to sanitise Ghana’s mining sector and intensify the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah made the announcement on Tuesday, July 22, following the submission of a review report by the special committee tasked with auditing existing mining licences. The report, presented in Accra, revealed glaring irregularities in the vast majority of the permits under scrutiny.
Out of 1,278 licences reviewed, only 316 were found to be in good standing. A staggering 962 licences were flagged for severe irregularities—including missing documentation, flawed processing procedures, and questionable data integrity.
Minister Buah did not mince words as he issued a two-week ultimatum: all 962 flagged licence holders must rectify the identified anomalies or face permanent revocation. He stressed that the government would no longer tolerate regulatory violations that undermine efforts to preserve the environment and restore order to the mining sector.
“We will not allow any individual or group to flout our laws and degrade our natural resources under the guise of small-scale mining,” the minister declared, adding that sweeping reforms are being prepared to overhaul the licensing process entirely.
He is expected to provide further details during his appearance at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House, where he will also address issues within the large-scale mining sector.
Meanwhile, the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has yet to officially respond to the minister’s stern warning. However, tensions between the association and the government have been mounting.
GNASSM recently accused the state of illegally seizing excavators belonging to legitimate miners. The association’s National Communications Director, Abdul Razak Alhassan, alleged that politically motivated actors have been influencing security forces—particularly the police—to confiscate equipment without due process.
He further claimed that since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government took office, small-scale miners have faced increased harassment and operational disruptions, despite operating within legal frameworks.
As the government intensifies its crackdown on galamsey and tightens control over the mining industry, all eyes are now on the fate of the 962 embattled licences—and the future of small-scale mining in Ghana.
