Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources, has stressed the urgent need to reform Ghana’s mining licensing regime to eliminate inefficiencies, duplication, and regulatory gaps that have hampered its effectiveness.
The mining sector remains a cornerstone of Ghana’s economy, contributing significantly to employment, foreign exchange, and national revenue.
However, the existing licensing framework has been criticized for inconsistencies, loopholes, and its susceptibility to abuse, which undermine the sector’s potential for sustainable growth.
Speaking during his vetting on Monday, January 27, Armah-Kofi Buah pointed out the fragmented nature of the current licensing process, which he argued creates opportunities for exploitation and regulatory non-compliance.
He highlighted a key loophole where individuals hold multiple licenses for adjacent areas without being classified as large-scale miners.
The Minister-Designate outlined plans to address these challenges, aiming to streamline the licensing regime, enhance oversight, and ensure compliance with industry standards.
He expressed optimism that these reforms would bolster the sector’s credibility and position Ghana’s mining industry for long-term, sustainable growth.
“When I get the opportunity to be approved, I intend to conduct a holistic review of the licensing regime and I have already talked about how there is so much duplication in the issue of licenses.
And I have talked about one individual who will be holding almost 50 licenses because he has not been classified as a large-scale and he has gone to do mining in contagious areas and if you put it all together, he is probably close to large-scale mining and so we need to look at this re-categorisation.”
The environmental consequences of unregulated and illegal mining were also a key focus of Armah-Kofi Buah’s remarks.
He pledged to incorporate stricter environmental guidelines into the licensing process and hold mining companies accountable for land reclamation and pollution control.
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