The Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has pledged to conduct a thorough review of Ghana’s mining license regime, which has faced criticism for its ineffectiveness and inconsistencies.
The current licensing process is fragmented, creating opportunities for exploitation and non-compliance.
Appearing before the vetting committee on January 27, Buah emphasized the need for a comprehensive review, highlighting issues like duplication in license issuance.
He noted that some individuals hold multiple licenses, potentially accumulating large-scale mining operations without proper classification.
As the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, he advocated for community mining schemes prioritising environmental protection and local employment.
Armah-Kofi Buah emphasized the need for reform to streamline the system and ensure better oversight and regulation in the sector.
He said, “When I get the opportunity to be approved, I intend to conduct a holistic review of the licensing regime and I have already talked about how there is so much duplication in the issue of licenses.
“And I have talked about one individual who will be holding almost 50 licenses because he has not been classified as a large-scale and he has gone to do mining in contagious areas and if you put it all together, he is probably close to large-scale mining and so we need to look at this re-categorisation.”
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