Govt revokes small-scale mining licences - Action affects permits issued after Dec.7

The government has revoked all small-scale mining licences that were issued by the previous government after December 7, 2024.

This is because the process leading to their issuance were rushed, and as such did not follow due procedure.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said the revocation of the licences was anchored on the findings of two committees – the working committee on illegal activities in forest reserves and water bodies, and the ministerial advisory group on illegal mining.

Again, he said, the action was in line with the government's commitment to take far-reaching measures to sanitise the small-scale mining sector.

The media briefing was held in collaboration with the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), Dr Ibrahhim Murtala Mohammed; and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse.

Licence review committee

In addition to the revocation of licences issued after December 7 last year, the minister also said a technical committee had been set up to review all small-scale mining licences in the country.

He said the committee, which had membership from the ministries of Lands and Natural Resources, MEST, the EPA, Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission and the Water Resources Commission (WRC) as well as the Office of Attorney-General, was expected to review all small-scale mining licences to determine their validity.

Among other things, Mr Buah said the committee would audit the existing licences to ensure that they were properly acquired and met all operational requirements.

He explained that the committee had been tasked to audit all licences “to ensure they were properly acquired, that due process was followed, and that they meet all conditions of continuous validity with respect to environmental water bodies, forest reserves, and land preservation standards.”

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister added that the committee would scrutinise the licences to ensure that permit fees had been paid in full.

“All licensees are expected to cooperate and subject their documentation to this exercise within this period. All who fail to go through this process will have their licences revoked,” he stressed.

Reclassification

Mr Buah also said the ministries responsible for Lands and Environment were working together to establish a new classification for the small-scale mining regime.

He said the new regime would introduce a medium-scale mining sector to serve as a bridge between the small and large-scale sectors.

Context

A few days after taking office as the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, and in line with the government’s pledge to take steps to sanitise the mining sector, two committees were set up to review the current licensing regime and propose recommendations for responsible mining.

The committee was also tasked to propose comprehensive strategy to tackle the issue of illegal mining.

After executing their mandates within a month, the committees presented their findings to the ministry.

Highlights of recommendations

Presenting highlights of the committees’ findings, the minister said it was established that existing Community Mining Schemes (CMS) were in name only, although the basis for which they were founded was to benefit the community.

The committee further recommended that the government should review all CMS and small-scale mining licences through a technical committee to enhance transparency and integrity within the industry.

Additionally, the committee suggested that there should be a nation-wide civic education through the National Commission for Civic Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), the relevant civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media.

The committee further stated that going forward, licencing of small-scale mines should start at the district level, with the empowerment of District Security Council (DISEC) and District Mining Committees (DMCs) to carry out ground proofing and vetting of all documents.

It also recommended that DISEC should be expanded to include Minerals Commission, EPA, WRC and Forestry Commission officials “in addition to traditional authorities from the area where the concession is to be granted.”

The committee underscored the need to decentralise the fight against illegal mining to district assemblies with stated Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to hold metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) as well as regional and district police commanders responsible.

Added to this, the committee recommended that there should be a complete ban on the importation and fabrication of floating equipment and platforms used in mining in water bodies.

No retreat

Touching further on the recommendations made by the committee, Dr Mohammed said the government was prepared to go to every length to stem the tide.

The Environment, Science and Technology Minister stressed that the galamsey fight was a moral imperative that required all citizens with conscience to rise up and be counted.

“The President has given us over 100 per cent support and commitment to fight this canker and we cannot fail.

The political will is there; the determination is there; so there is no turning back,” he said.

“Those who think they can hide behind political clothing should better rethink; they will be smoked out and dealt with,” Dr Mohammed stressed in reference to the involvement of political figures in illegal mining.