Sammy Gyamfi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), has declared support for formalizing eligible unlicensed artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs) through structured government assistance rather than deploying military force.
In clarifying his previous speech delivered inn the Mining in Motion summit, he emphasized that integrating these operators into the formal economy provides a constructive, sustainable framework for environmental stewardship and regulatory compliance.
“I maintain that formalizing such unlicensed ASMs is a better approach than chasing them with soldiers. The rCOMSDEP is an ASM formalization initiative aimed at transforming such unlicensed ASMs into licensed and responsible ASMs to promote sustainability in the sector. “
Sammy Gyamfi,
Elaborating on this policy direction, Sammy Gyamfi explained that unlicensed miners operating outside ecologically sensitive areas meet the baseline requirements for formalization under the government’s Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP).
Through rCOMSDEP, the state seeks to transition eligible operators into fully licensed and responsible cooperatives by providing vital technical training, legal documentation, and financial support, rather than relying on punitive enforcement actions.
Defining Limits and Irredeemable Operations
Despite advocating for formalization, Sammy Gyamfi stressed that certain destructive forms of unlicensed mining remain completely intolerable and cannot be reformed.
Specifically, operations that pollute water bodies, encroach on forest reserves, or invade sensitive community areas such as roadsides, school lands, and residential areas pose severe public health and environmental hazards.
Such high-risk illegal operations will face zero tolerance, as they undermine societal safety and ecosystem resilience.
Conversely, miners situated on benign mineralized tracts are given a clear pathway toward regulatory compliance.
By distinguishing between manageable informal mining and destructive, high-risk operations, state regulators can focus punitive actions strictly on high-impact zones while systematically absorbing non-offending operators into the structured economic fold.
Imperative for Formalization and Traceability
The imperative for this strategic shift stems from decades of ineffective military-led operations that failed to cure the structural roots of informal mining.
Physical clampdowns often yield temporary disruptions without tackling the socio-economic realities that drive illegal mining activity.
By prioritizing formalization, traceability, and cooperative capacity-building, Ghana establishes an inclusive model that protects vital natural resources while expanding local ownership and economic opportunities.
Aligning small-scale extraction with regulatory standards safeguards the national gold supply chain, bolsters state revenue, and secures long-term sustainability across the domestic extractive sector.
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