The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has disclosed that 55 small-scale mining licenses issued during the transitional period have been revoked.
According to him, the revocation aligns with the governments commitment to combating illegal mining activities (galamsey), particularly in river bodies and forest reserves.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Buah said that, In the fight against galamsey, 55 small-scale mining licenses issued during the transitional period were revoked at the beginning of the year.
The minister further indicated that as part of efforts to enforce strict compliance among mining companies, 907 small-scale mining licenses are currently under review for possible revocation.
He explained that the review was prompted by irregularities uncovered by the Small-Scale Mining Review Committee.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah added that similar measures would soon be extended to large-scale mining licenses to ensure sector-wide accountability and the sanitisation of the mining sector.
Additionally, 907 out of 1,278 licenses are now under review for possible revocation due to irregularities identified by the Small-Scale Mining Review Committee. A similar exercise is currently ongoing to review large-scale mining licenses to ensure compliance. These measures are aimed at sanitising the mining sector to ensure transparency and sustainable operations, he added.
On the issue of arrests and prosecutions, Armah-Kofi Buah gave details of the progress his outfit has made so far, collaborating with state agencies in combating galamsey.
In collaboration with other agencies, including the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, and the National Security Secretariat, 425 excavators and other machinery have been seized. We have also made 1,345 arrests nationwide, and prosecutions are steadily progressing. I believe the Attorney General will speak to this in his updates.
For instance, in forest reserves alone, 177 excavators, 4 bulldozers, 12 vehicles, 43 motorcycles, 155 pumping machines, 184 changfangs, 15 detector machines, and 10 heavy-duty generators have been seized across the country. 286 persons have been arrested, he detailed.
MAG/AE
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