Story by, Nsor Paul Mensah
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP, has inaugurated a Nine-Member Small-Scale Mining License Review Committee to conduct a comprehensive audit of all small-scale mining licenses in Ghana.
Chaired by Deputy Minister Hon. Sulemana Yusif, the Committee is tasked with scrutinizing licenses to ensure compliance with legal, environmental, and financial regulations. Key areas of review include:
• Due process in license acquisition
• Adherence to due process – ensure they meet all conditions of continuous validity with respect to environmental standards (water bodies, forest reserves, and land preservation)
• Full payment of permitting fees
During the inauguration, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah emphasized the committee’s critical role in sanitizing the small-scale mining sector and ensuring sustainable benefits for Ghana. "Your work will expose irregularities in the licensing regime, help restore confidence, and ensure optimum benefits from the sector. He however indicated that he was open to reviewing the lead time of two months if and when required.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Yusif Sulemana assured the Minister of a rigorous and impartial review within the two-month deadline. "We recognize the trust placed in us and will ensure transparency to boost investor confidence," he said, calling on license holders to fully cooperate with the process.
The committee includes experts from:
Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation
Minerals Commission
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Water Resources Commission
Forestry Commission
Office of the Attorney General
Association of Small-Scale Miners
Ghana Chamber of Mines/
A final report is expected by June 2025, marking a pivotal step in Ghana’s efforts to regulate small-scale mining and combat illegal operations.