The government has taken a decisive step towards reforming the mining sector to ensure responsible small-scale mining in the country.
Accordingly, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has launched the maiden Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) in New Abirem, in the Abirem North District of the Eastern Region, with a bold promise to transform illegal mining activities into a responsible, sustainable and wealth-generating enterprise for local communities.
Speaking at the launch on Monday, June 8, 2026, Mr Buah urged miners and community members to embrace responsible mining practices to ensure the long-term success of the initiative.
He highlighted the government’s five-pillar strategy for tackling illegal mining and promoting sustainable resource management. The pillars include strengthened stakeholder engagement, enhanced law enforcement, regulatory reforms, reclamation of degraded lands and water bodies, and the creation of alternative livelihood opportunities.
According to Mr Buah, these measures are critical to improving the turbidity levels of the country’s water bodies, restoring forest reserves, and safeguarding the environment for future generations.
As a major boost for the newly established cooperative, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister announced that the Akyem Kotoku Cooperative Mining Scheme would become the first beneficiary of a Gold Katcha machine. The innovative technology gives a higher recovery rate of gold during processing, significantly reducing waste and helping miners maximize returns while minimizing environmental damage.
Mr Buah who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele commended the training programme organised under rCOMSDEP.
He described the programme as a crucial intervention to equip miners with the knowledge and skills required for responsible mining operations.
The five pillars explained
At the heart of the minister’s address was the five-pillar framework designed to convert illegal mining into a positive and sustainable story.
The first pillar centres on robust stakeholder engagement and community education, ensuring that miners and communities understand both the law and the responsible mining practices expected of them.
The second pillar addresses systemic failures in licensing and regulation.
Under the proposed reform, currently awaiting cabinet approval, every individual or organisation seeking a mining licence must first pass through a District Mining Committee to be established across all active mining districts. The committee will investigate whether a proposed concession overlaps with water bodies, forest reserves, or cocoa farms, and the Minerals Commission will act only upon the committee’s recommendations.
“Scenarios where outsiders arrive in communities like Abirem claiming the right to mine over community land will be a thing of the past,” Mr Buah added.
The third pillar introduces a new category of medium-scale mining to sit alongside the existing small and large-scale operations currently recognised under Ghanaian law, broadening the formal channels through which community miners can operate legitimately.
The fourth pillar is the deployment of a Blue Water Guard, a force of over 2,000 guards positioned across galamsey hotspots to protect water bodies. This is complemented by the creation of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat, NAIMOS, charged with coordinating enforcement across all agencies.
Forest & Water Crisis
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister painted a sobering picture of the destruction brought by years of unregulated mining.
He revealed that Ghana has already lost 45 per cent of its forest reserves to illegal mining activities, while water bodies across the country continue to be poisoned by hazardous chemicals. This contamination, he decried, has directly led to preventable deaths among Ghanaian communities.
“These are not statistics we can afford to ignore. Our forests are depleted, our rivers are dying, and our people are being harmed. rCOMSDEP is our answer, a structured, certified, community-owned solution,” Mr Buah stated.
National Coordinator’s assurance
National Coordinator of rCOMSDEP, Ms. Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, explained that the initiative reflects the project’s commitment to responsible, sustainable, and community-centred mining.
She reinforced that the programme is a direct expression of President John Dramani Mahama’s vision and a key component of government’s broader Resetting Agenda.
The scheme, she further explained, is designed to create economic opportunities for local people while ensuring environmental stewardship and accountability across the small-scale mining sector.
Ms Mawuenyefia pledged that every interested miner in the New Abirem community would be registered, trained, and certified under the scheme, guaranteeing that participants may operate without fear of arrest by security personnel.
A particularly compelling feature, she outlined is a Community Development Fund, into which a percentage of proceeds from cooperative mining will flow, financing schools, roads, hospitals, and other infrastructure that communities identify as priorities. “rCOMSDEP is a great opportunity, let us embrace it and ensure that it inures to the benefit of all of us,” Ms Mawuenyefia urged.
She called on traditional leaders, miners, and residents of Akyem Kotoku to fully support the initiative to achieve its objectives of job creation and social development.
Omanhene’s appreciation
The Omanhene of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Oseadeeyo Dr. Frimpong Manso IV, expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama for what he described as a visionary initiative that would benefit both the nation and the people of Akyem Kotoku.
He noted that the training component of the programme would promote good mining practices and help miners operate in a manner that protects the environment while contributing to local economic growth.
Oseadeeyo Dr. Frimpong Manso IV pledged the full support of the traditional authority towards the success of the cooperative mining scheme, expressing optimism that it would become a model for responsible small-scale mining across the country.
By Kingsley Asiedu
