Chasing Miners With Soldiers Has Failed, Formalising Them Is The Smart Way—Mining Expert Back Gyamfi

A Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mining Research & Policy, Dr. Ofori Kodua, has backed the plan by GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi to formalise small-scale miners.

According to him, Sammy Gyamfi’s formalisation of eligible artisanal and small-scale miners offers a practical and progressive approach to Ghana’s mining challenges.

Dr. Kodua said for years, Ghana has tried to fight galamsey by chasing miners with soldiers, burning chanfan machines and seizing excavators. But the miners return after soldiers leave.

He said what Sammy Gyamfi is proposing is different and more practical.

Under the plan, if a miner is working outside red zones – meaning not in water bodies, not in forest reserves, and not on roadsides, school lands or bedrooms – government will not chase him away. Instead, government will regularise him, give him licence, training and financing to mine responsibly.

“Formalising eligible miners is better than chasing them with soldiers,” Sammy Gyamfi had said, and Dr. Kodua agrees.

The expert said this approach is progressive because it separates two types of miners: the irredeemably wrong ones who destroy rivers and forests, and the eligible ones who just need legal papers and guidance.

He explained that under government’s Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), unlicensed miners will be transformed into licensed and responsible operators.

He said this will help trace gold, increase revenue, create jobs and protect the environment at the same time.

Dr. Kodua added that Ghana’s small-scale mining sector feeds millions of families, and it cannot be destroyed by force alone. It must be formalised, supported and regulated.

He praised Sammy Gyamfi for shifting from policing miners to building their capacity to mine without destroying Ghana’s future.

Trusted-Breaking feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com