The Minority in Parliament has announced plans to summon the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to Parliament to clarify the government’s position on reports that miners could commence operations without licences and regularise their activities afterwards.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, made this announcement during a Leaders’ Media Briefing on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, expressing concern over comments attributed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi.
Sammy Gyamfi had reportedly suggested that miners operating outside restricted areas, including water bodies and forest reserves, could be allowed to undertake mining activities while steps were taken to regularise their operations.
However, Afenyo-Markin argued that such a position could undermine the legal framework governing mining in Ghana, particularly the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
He maintained that the law does not permit individuals to engage in small-scale mining without first obtaining the necessary licence.
“The Minerals and Mining Act 2006, Act 703, admits no exception, and registration and regularisation must never become an amnesty,” he stated.
Under Section 82(1) of Act 703, a licence must be obtained before a person can undertake small-scale mining operations.
The Minority Leader said the caucus wanted the Lands Minister to explain whether the reported position of the Gold Board CEO reflected the government’s official policy and how the proposed regularisation process would comply with existing mining laws.
Afenyo-Markin stressed that efforts to address galamsey should not be influenced by political considerations, arguing that the destruction of the country’s natural resources affects all Ghanaians, irrespective of their political affiliations.
“Our rivers and forests are not partisan,” Afenyo-Markin declared.
Afenyo-Markin stressed that the Minority would pursue the matter through Parliament and demand clarity from the minister, warning against any approach to formalising small-scale mining that could weaken the enforcement of existing laws.
The development follows Sammy Gyamfi, the Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, shockingly stating that miners can now mine with or without a licence in Ghana.
According to Sammy Gyamfi, miners can now mine with or without a licence provided they are not mining in water bodies, forest reserves, or close to a road.
In a video shared on X, Sammy Gyamfi disclosed that all District Chief Executives (DCEs) had been tasked with compiling lists of areas where mining activities were currently taking place.
Sammy Gyamfi explained that the Mahama government’s approach is to allow mining in areas outside the restricted locations, regardless of whether the operators held licences.
Speaking at an event, Sammy Gyamfi, in a video shared on X, stated, “As we speak, all DCEs have been tasked to make a list of areas where miners are working. Places miners are working: once it is not a water body, it is not a forest reserve, or a roadside; whether the person has a license or not, the government says that person should be allowed to mine”.
However, Sammy Gyamfi has said formalising such unlicensed artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs) ‘galamseyers’ is a better approach to fighting illegal mining than chasing them with soldiers.
According to Sammy Gyamfi, the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) is an ASM formalisation initiative aimed at transforming such unlicensed ASMs into licensed and responsible ASMs to promote sustainability in the sector.
He argued that the Goldbod holds the view that properly organised small-scale mining offers one of the clearest pathways from mineral ownership in law to indigenous ownership in practice.
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