“Only members in good standing will vote” — GNASSM announces election roadmap after database cleanup

The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has officially released its timetable for a nationwide internal election to usher in new leadership for a four‑year term, marking the end of an extended electoral hiatus driven by sweeping institutional reforms.

Addressing the media on the upcoming polls, Michael Adu‑Gyamfi, Ashanti Regional Secretary of the association, explained that although GNASSM’s constitution mandates elections every four years, the process was deliberately delayed—stretching to nearly seven years—to allow the association to overhaul its foundational administrative systems.

According to him, the primary reason for the delay was the decision to compile a reliable, verified digital database of all members, eliminating the long‑standing dependence on improvised and inconsistent voter registers.

“Considering the time we had our previous election, it is almost seven years. There were reasons for that. The association felt we needed to get our database right, because previous elections relied on improvised ways of integrating members into the electoral process. We have successfully completed that task. We have registered our members across Ghana, and we are fully ready to conduct our elections in 2026,” Mr. Adu‑Gyamfi stated.

Electoral Roadmap

He announced the following key dates for the upcoming polls:

• Zonal Elections: November 13
• District Elections: December 20
• National Executive Elections: December 21

With a clean and verified membership database now in place, GNASSM leadership emphasized that eligibility to vote or contest will be strictly enforced. Only registered members in good standing will be permitted to participate, a move aimed at strengthening credibility, transparency and internal discipline.

Members across the country have been encouraged to take active interest and participate fully in all phases of the electoral process to ensure the emergence of a fully constituted executive body by next year.

Sector Concerns: Licensing Delays

Shifting from internal matters to broader industry challenges, GNASSM leadership highlighted the persistent anxieties confronting small‑scale miners nationwide.

Chief among these concerns is the prolonged delay in the issuance and processing of mining licenses. Mr. Adu‑Gyamfi stressed that securing a legal operating license remains the fundamental dividing line between legitimate small‑scale miners and illegal operators (galamsey).

However, lingering bottlenecks within the licensing system continue to frustrate law‑abiding miners seeking to operate transparently and sustainably.