Lands Ministry Warns: Illegitimate Small-Scale Mining Licenses to Be Revoked September 1

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), has issued a strict ultimatum to small-scale mining license holders across Ghana: prove the legitimacy of your licenses by 5:00 p.m. on September 1, 2025, or face permanent revocation.

This directive follows a comprehensive license audit carried out by a special committee tasked with reviewing the validity of small-scale mining licenses.

Results of the License Review

According to the Ministry:

1,278 licenses were reviewed in total.
316 licenses were confirmed to be free of irregularities.
962 licenses had various irregularities, with 55 revoked earlier in 2025.

The review was part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to sanitize Ghana’s mining sector and eliminate illegal operations that fuel galamsey activities.

Deadline Extension and Final Warning

Initially, the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) appealed for more time to allow members to provide necessary documentation. The Minister granted an extension, pushing the deadline to the end of August 2025.

With the new deadline just days away, the Ministry has reiterated that no further extensions will be granted.

“Affected license holders are therefore reminded to submit any documentation to prove the legitimacy of their small-scale mining licenses to the Ministry on or before 17:00 hrs, 1 September 2025. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their license by the Honourable Minister,” the Ministry’s License Review Committee stated.

Large-Scale Mining Licenses Next in Line

Beyond small-scale mining, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has also hinted at a forthcoming robust review of large-scale mining licenses. This will form part of a comprehensive compliance enforcement strategy aimed at strengthening Ghana’s mining governance framework and curbing illegal practices.