The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) is sounding the alarm over what it describes as increasing harassment and intimidation of its members by security operatives, and is demanding urgent government intervention to protect legally licensed miners.
At a press briefing held in Kumasi, GNASSM’s National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abdul Razak Alhassan, recounted growing concerns across mining communities in the Ashanti, Western North, Upper East, Eastern, Western, and Savannah Regions. He alleged that security personnel—often operating under the alleged protection of politically connected figures—have been storming legitimate mining sites, confiscating excavators and machinery, extorting illegal payments, and, in some cases, violently evicting miners from licensed concessions.
“This pattern of lawlessness is unacceptable,” Mr. Alhassan stated. “It undermines the government’s own small-scale mining initiatives, such as the Reset Agenda, and erodes the trust built between miners and state institutions.”
GNASSM is now petitioning the government to order the immediate release of all seized equipment belonging to legally compliant miners, stressing that such actions not only cripple livelihoods but also contradict efforts to formalize and regulate the small-scale mining sector.
The Association reiterated its longstanding commitment to ethical and responsible mining. Mr. Alhassan emphasized that GNASSM does not support environmental destruction or operations in forest reserves, water bodies, or buffer zones—areas designated as RED ZONES. “We’ve consistently partnered with government to clamp down on mining in protected areas. We are not the enemy,” he said.
Beyond calling for the return of seized machinery, GNASSM urged the government to take a more nuanced and inclusive approach to tackling illegal mining. Rather than relying solely on force, the Association recommended an engagement strategy to integrate informal miners into the legal framework.
“We believe in dialogue and rehabilitation, not just repression,” Mr. Alhassan noted. “GNASSM is ready and equipped to lead a campaign to formalize illegal miners, clean up degraded areas, and bring more operators into responsible compliance—if given the mandate.”
The Association also called for capacity building among security personnel to help them understand the sector’s licensing regime and operational nuances, which would help prevent wrongful targeting of law-abiding operators.
Additionally, GNASSM threw its support behind the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operation Secretariat (NAIMOS) launched by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, calling for adequate resourcing of the Secretariat to ensure a more structured and coordinated fight against illegal mining.
With small-scale mining serving as a vital pillar of Ghana’s economy—providing jobs, supporting value chains, and supplying raw gold for the jewelry and export sectors—GNASSM insists that the way forward must be rooted in collaboration, not confrontation.
