GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi has defended the government’s approach to formalising unlicensed small-scale mining, arguing that eligible operators working outside environmentally sensitive and prohibited areas should be brought into the regulated mining sector rather than subjected solely to enforcement action.
Mr Gyamfi said formalisation would help promote responsible mining, improve environmental protection and strengthen accountability within the artisanal and small-scale mining industry.
His comments follow criticism of his earlier remarks suggesting that unlicensed miners could operate in areas outside forest reserves, water bodies and other protected locations.
In a response to the controversy, he maintained that the government’s position was not to permit all forms of illegal mining but to distinguish between operations that could be formalised and those that posed unacceptable risks to communities and the environment.
He identified mining activities that pollute water bodies, take place in forest reserves or are conducted in dangerous locations, including roadsides, school lands and residential premises, as unacceptable.
According to him, eligible artisanal and small-scale miners operating outside these prohibited areas could be considered for formalisation under the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), provided their activities did not cause environmental harm.
The programme seeks to transition unlicensed operators into the formal sector by providing the necessary legal documentation, permits, certifications and training to support responsible mining practices.
Mr Gyamfi also disputed the circulation of what he described as an edited version of his earlier comments, arguing that the footage had omitted important details about the government’s proposed measures to support eligible miners.
He said formalisation, skills training and access to financing were central to efforts to improve mining practices, strengthen gold traceability and reduce environmental damage.
As part of the proposed interventions, the GoldBod CEO announced plans to introduce an Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Formalisation and Financing Support Programme (FFSP) in 2027.
He said the initiative would be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the University of Mines and Technology and Rand Refinery.
The proposed programme is expected to support gold production, increase mineral revenue and create employment while helping miners reduce operating costs and environmental risks.
Mr Gyamfi’s position places formalisation alongside enforcement as part of the government’s approach to small-scale mining, with eligibility dependent on operators complying with restrictions intended to protect water bodies, forest reserves and communities.
