GoldBod to formalise eligible small-scale miners within six months under new programme

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) is preparing to register eligible informal small-scale miners into cooperatives and facilitate their formalisation and licensing within six months under a new government initiative.

Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, said the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) was designed to integrate informal artisanal miners into the regulated mining sector while encouraging responsible and environmentally sustainable operations.

Under the initiative, eligible miners will be organised into cooperatives through the Department of Cooperatives and trained in sustainable mining practices, mercury-free gold processing, land reclamation and environmentally friendly extraction methods.

In a statement issued on Saturday, October 31, 2026, Mr Gyamfi said the programme would “facilitate the full formalization and licensing of registered cooperatives within a six (6) month period.”

He explained that the cooperatives would be assigned to appropriate mineralised areas approved by the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Resources Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

The programme has received Cabinet approval, while an amendment bill to the Minerals and Mining Act making provision for its implementation is currently before Parliament.

According to Mr Gyamfi, rCOMSDEP is expected to support the government's campaign against illegal mining, complement the work of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), protect the environment and generate sustainable employment opportunities for young people.

He stressed, however, that participation would be limited to miners who were not operating in areas covered by existing mineral rights or locations where mining could threaten water bodies, forest reserves and nearby communities.

GoldBod is working with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to implement the programme as part of its statutory mandate to promote the formalisation of Ghana's small-scale mining industry.

Mr Gyamfi also pointed to formalisation programmes in Colombia, Mongolia, Peru and Tanzania, saying their experiences could provide useful lessons for Ghana's approach.

He maintained that an organised and properly regulated small-scale mining sector could give more indigenous businesses and individuals meaningful participation in the country's mineral industry.

“I hold the view that, properly organized artisanal and small-scale mining offers one of the clearest pathways from mineral ownership in law to indigenous ownership in practice,” he said.

He added that combining formalisation with modern technology would help improve safety standards, strengthen environmental protection, create jobs and increase the contribution of indigenous enterprises to national development.