Lands Minister, Hon Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has revoked 278 small-scale mining licenses over regulatory breaches and expiration of licenses.
The ministry decision was announced by the Spokesperson and Media Relations Officer, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, in a Facebook post on Thursday, October 23.
The move forms part of the government’s renewed effort to bring order and accountability to the small-scale mining sector.
Paa Kwesi Schandorf highlighted that the revocation targeted operators who failed to meet environmental and safety requirements and continued mining activities without renewing their license validity period.
In related mining news, Felix Kwaye Ofosu, Minister of Government Communications, has shared more action by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).
In a post on his official social media page, he wrote, “The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its nationwide operations, recording major successes in two coordinated missions carried out on Tuesday, 21st October 2025, in the Western North and Ashanti Regions.
In the Western North Region, the NAIMOS Task Force intercepted a group of armed men operating deep within the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Aowin District.
The team arrested several suspects, including a Chinese national believed to be their excavator operator. A search of the area led to the seizure of four (4) pump action guns, twenty-two (22) cartridges, and three (3) buckets containing a black substance suspected to be mining material”.
He added, “The arrest of the armed group marks a critical success in NAIMOS’s ongoing efforts to curb the growing presence of armed mining syndicates within forest reserves.
Later that day, the task force advanced its operations to the Boin River Forest Reserve in the Enchi District”.
He further revealed, “The NAIMOS Task Force extended its campaign against illegal mining to the Ashanti Region, targeting hotspots in the Asante Akim and Juaso districts.
Acting on credible intelligence, the task force first moved into the Asuboa Mponua area of Asante Akim, where six (6) excavators were discovered in various locations. Two (2) were unserviceable, while the remaining were immobilized. Several items, including one (1) heavy-duty water pumping machine, numerous hoses, empty fuel containers, and a wooden structure, were set ablaze, while one (1) generator set was seized.
The task force then proceeded to the Praakwa Forest Reserve in the Juaso District, where illegal mining was taking place along the Pra River. The operation led to the destruction of six (6) mining boats, several washing platforms, and other equipment, all set ablaze. About eight (8) illegal miners were arrested”.
Also, “NAIMOS Storms Oda Forest Reserve in Ashanti Region, Arrests Armed Illegal Mining Thugs, Seizes Bribery Monies and Destroys Several Makeshift Structures and Mining Equipment”, he added.
