Sammy Gyamfi Explains Government’s Plan to Register and License Unlicensed Small-Scale Miners

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has spoken about the government’s efforts to formalise small-scale mining by identifying operators working without the necessary permits and helping bring their activities under the appropriate regulatory framework.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to improve oversight of Ghana’s small-scale mining industry and ensure that individuals involved in the sector operate in accordance with the country’s mining laws and regulations.

Under the proposed approach, miners who currently work without the required authorisation are expected to be identified as part of efforts to determine who is involved in small-scale mining and establish the appropriate arrangements for regulating their operations.

Formalisation is intended to help authorities distinguish between operators who comply with legal requirements and those whose activities take place outside the established regulatory system.

Ghana’s small-scale mining sector provides livelihoods for many people and contributes to economic activity in several mining communities, but illegal operations have remained a major concern for successive governments because of their impact on the environment and the challenges they create for effective regulation.

By identifying miners and addressing their licensing status, the government aims to create a system in which operators can be monitored more effectively and held accountable for the way they conduct their activities.

The licensing process is also important because legal authorisation establishes the conditions under which mining can take place, including the areas where operators are permitted to work and the requirements they must meet.

For the Ghana Gold Board, which plays a role in the country’s gold sector, efforts to improve the organisation and regulation of small-scale mining are relevant to broader discussions about responsible gold production and the management of the country’s mineral resources.

A properly regulated sector could make it easier for authorities to track mining activities, identify operators and improve compliance with applicable rules.

However, formalisation requires more than identifying miners, as effective implementation also depends on licensing procedures, monitoring, enforcement and compliance with environmental and safety requirements.

Mining activities conducted without appropriate oversight can contribute to environmental damage, including the pollution of water bodies and the degradation of land, particularly where operators fail to follow established standards.

Bringing miners into the formal system could therefore provide authorities with a clearer picture of activities taking place across mining communities and create opportunities to enforce the law more consistently.

At the same time, the success of such an initiative would depend on how effectively the relevant institutions implement the process and ensure that licensed operators comply with the conditions attached to their permits.

Sammy Gyamfi’s remarks on the initiative have placed the formalisation of small-scale mining at the centre of efforts to regulate the industry, with the government seeking to identify unlicensed operators and establish a clearer legal framework for their activities.

Source: https://x.com/i/status/2113602641628442828

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