Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi Esq., has cited experiences from Colombia, Mongolia, Peru and Tanzania as useful lessons for Ghana’s efforts to formalise the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.
He believes Ghana can draw valuable lessons from the four countries as it rolls out the responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) to promote responsible mining, protect the environment and create sustainable employment opportunities.
In a statement dated October 31, 2026, Mr Gyamfi highlighted the various approaches adopted by the four countries to bring informal artisanal and small-scale miners into the formal mining system.
He noted that Colombia passed Law 2250 in 2022 to establish a framework for the legalisation and formalisation of traditional miners, while Mongolia revised its ASM regulations in 2017 to enable miners organised into partnerships and cooperatives to operate legally.
He also pointed to Peru’s Comprehensive Registry for Mining Formalisation (REINFO), introduced in 2012 to identify and verify informal miners, and Tanzania’s approach, which involved registering eligible miners, allocating recognised mining areas and issuing Primary Mining Licences.
According to Mr Gyamfi, Tanzania’s formalisation efforts received a significant boost in 2016 under former President John Magufuli, leading to the formation of more than 5,000 new mining groups, alongside technical support, geological assistance and the establishment of model ASM centres.
Drawing on these experiences, he said Ghana’s rCOMSDEP seeks to organise eligible informal artisanal miners into cooperatives under the Department of Cooperatives and provide them with training in sustainable mining practices, mercury-free processing, land reclamation and environmentally friendly mining techniques.
The programme is also expected to facilitate the formalisation and licensing of registered cooperatives within six months before directing them to suitable mineralised areas approved by the relevant regulatory institutions.
Mr Gyamfi explained that the initiative, championed by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has received Cabinet approval and has been provided for in an amendment bill to the Minerals and Mining Act currently before Parliament.
He said the programme would complement the government’s efforts to combat illegal mining through the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), while promoting environmental protection and creating sustainable jobs for young people.
He stressed, however, that miners operating in areas covered by existing mineral rights or locations where mining activities could negatively affect water bodies, forest reserves and communities would not qualify for registration under the programme.
The GoldBod CEO further disclosed that the Ghana Gold Board, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, is supporting the implementation of the initiative in line with its statutory mandate to promote the formalisation of the small-scale mining industry.
Under its proposed ASM Formalisation and Financing Support Programme (FFSP), GoldBod, in partnership with the University of Mines and Technology, is expected to provide financial and technical assistance to licensed small-scale miners and cooperative mines beginning in 2027.
The support will cover geological investigations, concession viability assessments, equipment financing, land reclamation, mercury-free processing and other forms of capital and technical assistance.
Mr Gyamfi said the initiative aligns with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 manifesto on the mining sector.
He acknowledged that formalisation programmes in the four countries had encountered initial implementation challenges but maintained that their experiences offered important lessons for Ghana.
He called for bipartisan support and contributions from industry stakeholders, civil society organisations, religious bodies, opinion leaders and the general public to ensure the successful implementation of rCOMSDEP.
According to him, properly organised artisanal and small-scale mining could bridge the gap between legal ownership of mineral resources and meaningful indigenous participation in the sector.
He argued that, with effective formalisation and modern technology, the sector could improve mineral recovery, enhance safety and environmental protection, create productive employment, generate foreign exchange, strengthen national reserves and promote indigenous enterprises.
He expressed confidence that rCOMSDEP, working alongside NAIMOS enforcement operations, could contribute significantly to building a more sustainable mining industry in Ghana.
By: Bernard Mensah
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