Amid the government’s renewed effort to ensure sustainable management of its natural resources and fight the illegal mining menace, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has outlined five key strategic pillars that will guide Ghana’s commitment.
According to the Minister, the government believes these strategic anchors will help transform the critical sector into a sustainable one, ridding it off practices the jeopardizes the environment and threaten human lives.
The Minister made the remarks during the launch of the country’s maiden Responsible Cooperative Mining Scheme at New Abirem in the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area of the Eastern Region.
The initiative is expected to formalize small-scale mining operations, create jobs, and ensure that mining activities are carried out in an environmentally responsible manner.
Addressing miners, traditional leaders, and community members, Armah Kofi Buah stressed that the fight against galamsey cannot be won through force alone but requires a coordinated approach involving education, regulation, enforcement, environmental restoration, and economic empowerment.
According to him, the first pillar is Stakeholder Engagement and Education, which seeks to build public awareness about the environmental and economic consequences of illegal mining while encouraging communities to become active custodians of their natural resources.
The second pillar, he says is Enhanced Law Enforcement. This has seen government intensify operations through the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and security agencies to clamp down on illegal mining activities, particularly in forest reserves and along major river bodies.
Under the third pillar, which is Regulatory and Licensing Reforms, the government is introducing measures to strengthen oversight and accountability within the mining sector. Key among these reforms is the establishment of District Mining Committees to improve local-level monitoring, licensing compliance, and stakeholder participation in mining governance.
The fourth pillar focuses on the Reclamation of Degraded Lands and Polluted Water Bodies. This includes initiatives such as the Blue Water Guards programme, which is helping protect rivers from illegal mining activities while supporting efforts to restore water quality and rehabilitate damaged ecosystems.
The fifth pillar is the creation of Alternative Livelihood Opportunities for communities heavily dependent on illegal mining. According to the Minister, the government believes providing sustainable employment and entrepreneurship opportunities will reduce the economic incentives that drive many young people into galamsey.
The Minister further indicated that the Responsible Cooperative Mining Scheme embodies all five pillars by promoting community ownership, environmental responsibility, and legal mining practices. He urged beneficiaries to uphold the highest standards of compliance to ensure that Ghana’s mineral wealth contributes to national development without compromising the environment for future generations.
The launch marks a significant shift in government’s approach to small-scale mining, placing greater emphasis on responsible mining, community participation, and long-term sustainability in the management of the country’s natural resources.
