The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners has called on the government to immediately release all excavators and equipment confiscated from licensed operators across the country.
At a press briefing in Kumasi on Wednesday, the association condemned what it described as a pattern of unjust treatment, including the seizure of machinery, intimidation, harassment, and alleged extortion by some elements within the country’s security services.
They accused politically connected individuals of exploiting their influence to run parallel task forces for personal gain. “Seizure, harassment, intimidation and alleged extortions faced by small scale miners at the hands of some elements within the Law Enforcement Agencies, especially the police and politically exposed persons who run their own parallel Taskforce for their self-gains, equate injustice,” the association charged.
The group said it is appalled by what it sees as the deliberate targeting of legitimate operators by those mandated to uphold the law.
“Politically exposed persons manipulate security agencies for profit and power, undermining formal small-scale mining initiatives,” said Abdul Razak Alhassan, the association’s National Public Relations Officer.
He stressed that their members operate within the bounds of ethical and legal mining practices and have no tolerance for environmental destruction or unregulated activities.
“Never in our history have we defended illegality. We do not condone irresponsible mining that cause havoc to our community,” he said.
The Association reiterated its commitment to responsible mining and urged the government to step in and ensure justice and fairness for law-abiding small-scale miners across Ghana.
Below is a copy of the press statement:
SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE GHANA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SMALL SCALE MINERS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE MIKLIN HOTEL, KUMASI, ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2025.
Good morning,
Distinguish media professionals,
Members of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for honoring this call at the shortest notice. Your swift response to our call is a clear indication of a good relationship we built together over the years. We appreciate you a lot.
We are here to bring to your attention a grave injustice the systematic harassment, intimidation, and alleged extortion of small-scale miners by some elements within the Law Enforcement Agencies (especially the Police) and politically exposed persons who run their own parallel taskforce for their self-gains.
This issue transcends mining; it’s a human rights and corruption concern. Across various mining communities in Ashanti, Western North, Upper East, Eastern, Western and Savannah Regions, countless hardworking small-scale miners are being targeted and terrorized by those meant to protect them. Politically exposed persons manipulate security agencies for profit and power, undermining formal small-scale mining initiatives.
Some Police officers and other security agencies, sometimes acting under the influence or protection of powerful political figures, storm mining sites with impunity. They confiscate equipment, demand illegal payments, and, in some cases, violently eject miners from land they have legally licensed to mine.
Some Police checkpoints targets miners in possession of gold and accuse them of illegal possession of gold despite engaging in legitimate mining operations. Behind many of these operations are politically exposed persons – individuals who, using their influence and connections, have turned public authority into private enterprise.
These politically exposed persons manipulate security agencies, exploits regulatory loopholes and backs illegal miners to take over licensed concessions not for the sake of the environment or law, but for profit and power. These activities undermine formal small-scale mining initiatives by the Government and the Reset Agenda.
This must end and we demand that it ends now.
We the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, have at all times, engaged in responsible and ethical mining practices. Never in our history have we defended illegality. We do not condone irresponsible mining that causes havoc to our environment.
That is why over the years, we have supported and collaborated with Government to enforce restriction at the RED ZONES (Forest Reserves, water bodies and buffers zones), a responsible act we will continue to do. However, what we will not do, is to be silent while our members are criminalized for working hard to earn a living.
We suggest the following:
1. The National Anti-illegal mining Operation Secretariat (NAIMOS) launched by the sector Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, should be adequately resourced to handle the illegal mining issues in a more coordinated approach to realize the impact of their mandate.
2. We demand stronger protection for licensed small-scale miners, including clear protocols for police operations on mining sites. These efforts will in the long run promote responsible mining
3. Alternative Approach is very important, force cannot be used all the time. In some instances, we should engage the illegal miners and work with them to correct the mess that they have created and to also formalize them where practicable. GNASSM is prepared to lead in realizing this approach if given the opportunity. We have all the tools and resources to ensure this objective is achieved when given the mandate to do so.
4. Build capacity of the security agencies to understand the small scale mining operations and licensing regime of the sector.
5. Regulatory agencies like the Minerals Commission should be part of the operations of the taskforce to reduce the rate at which licensed small scale miners are being abused and driven out of their legitimately acquired concessions.
6. We demand the immediate release of all excavators and other machineries seized from licensed small scale mining sites
Ladies and gentlemen of the press,
The small scale mining sector has huge socio-economic prospects if properly managed. The employment opportunities, the supply of raw gold for value additions, the upstream, midstream and downstream linkages benefits, and its integration into our local economy, cannot be overemphasized.
With the establishment of the GOLDBOD as part of the Reset agenda of the government and the sanitization of gold trading activities have contributed immensely in forex earnings (over 2.7 billion US dollars from January- April 2025).
This is the evidence that with the right leadership we can bring change. Change is also needed in the fight against illegal mining, we need a well-coordinated approach, resource the NAINOMS and to fight against corruption and intimidation of small scale miners.
This country belongs to all of us not only the few with strong political connections. And if justice does not reach the deepest pits where miners toil under the sun, then our democracy is only a word, not a reality.
We call on all to demand accountability of our resource and justice to our environment for our future and that of our children.
Thank you.
