Nationwide small-scale miners registration starts next week

The government will, beginning next week, start a nationwide registration of miners at the community level in a major move to formalise the small-scale mining (ASSM) sector.

The initiative which forms part of the recently launched Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), a comprehensive programme aimed at overhauling the country’s ASM sector, is to help stem illegal mining.

The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, made this known in a speech he delivered on behalf of the sector minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, at a Minerals and Mining Convention in Accra yesterday.

He added that the cooperative mining scheme being rolled out by the government would strictly adhere to environmental sustainability models and sound mining regimes.

Mining convention

The convention, which was on the theme: "Shaping the future of Ghana's gold industry", was attended by key stakeholders, including policy makers, academia, captains of industry, CSOs and other development partners.

They discussed pertinent issues in the country’s mining sector, ranging from policy reforms, regulatory clarity, advancing sustainability, unlocking finance and sovereign leverage, to building global partnerships, innovations and investor confidence.

Relevant state institutions also shared ideas with the participants about the way forward in the search for pragmatic solutions to illegal mining and other bottlenecks in the mining sector.

Commitment

Mr Buah said the government was committed to implementing revolutionary reforms that would not only help curb irresponsible mining but also ensure that the country's mineral wealth benefitted citizens.

He said it was in that regard that the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the mining policy were being reviewed to address teething challenges in the sector.

The minister also said that the renewed focus of the government was to reclaim lands that had been degraded through illegal mining activities.

He, therefore, urged stakeholders, particularly in the small-scale mining sector, to cooperate with the government to implement the ongoing reforms.

"To small-scale miners, I want to assure you that the government is your partner, let us work together for a better mining sector that benefits the country and preserves the environment," the minister added.

Gold traceability

For his part, the Chief Executive Office of the Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, said as part of comprehensive reforms in the mining sector, the GoldBod would, by the end of the year, implement a gold traceability system "to ensure that every gram of gold purchased by the GoldBod can be traced back to verified, licenced and environmentally-compliant mine of origin."

He said by next week, the GoldBod would also present GH¢5 million and five pick-up vehicles to support the government's anti-galamsey efforts, and also reclaim 1,000 hectares of degraded lands in mining areas by November, this year.

Mr Gyamfi added that the GoldBod would start providing water systems to mining communities from next month.

Also, the board had partnered the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) and private geological entities to develop a mining repository to help reduce environmental degradation associated with the lottery system of prospecting for gold.

Mr Gyamfi further said that the creation of the GoldBod had proven to be a game changer in the country’s quest to promote responsible mining and make the sector more beneficial to citizens.

He said measures put in place by the GoldBod, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana, had ensured that between January and August, this year, gold exports hit a record high of 66.7 tonnes with an export value of about $6 billion.

"It is also instructive to note that small-scale gold exports continue to surpass those from the large-scale mining sector, which stood at 65.1 tonnes with an export value of about $5.6 billion for the period January to August, 2025," he said.

He said the GoldBod had locally purchased and supplied nearly 100 kilograms of gold from large-scale mines to the Bank of Ghana to augment the country's gold reserves.