On February 5, 2018, Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) disclosed that the industry has lost $551 million since the government put a ban on their operations.

Speaking at a media roundtable on the place and role of artisanal mining in the country’s economy, Godwin Amarh, Secretary General of GNASSM, called on the government to immediately lift the ban to save the industry from collapse.

The State has launched a war against illegal artisanal mining (Galamsey), resulting in a six-month moratorium on all small-scale artisanal mining activities. The goal is to protect water bodies and save forests from depletion.

The embargo which should have been lifted in late October 2017 has been extended over another three months, prompting strong protests from GNASSM.

According to John Peter Amewu, land and natural resources minister, quoted by GhanaWeb, the ban has been extended to allow government to monitor developments in the sector before the implementation of its Multilateral Mining Integration Project (MMIP).

The modus operandi adopted by the government is, according to GNASSM, wrong. The State should separate galamsey from small-scale miners who operate legally (those who operate with license). 

GNASSM’s estimate shows that artisanal mining accounts for one-third of the country’s output. Ghana is the second gold supplier in Africa, after South Africa.

Louis-Nino Kansoun