The Ghana Gold Board has stated that its plan to organize small-scale miners operating unlawfully should not be interpreted as pardoning illegal mining, commonly called galamsey.
The Board’s explanation comes after widespread backlash over a video circulating online in which its Chief Executive, Sammy Gyamfi, suggested that some miners could be allowed to work provided they stay away from river bodies, forest zones and road shoulders.
Reacting to the controversy on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, which was monitored by Ghanaianradar, the Board’s Head of Communications and Public Relations, Prince Kwame Minkah, said the CEO’s remarks were misconstrued.
According to him, Mr. Gyamfi was not legitimising illegal mining but rather proposing an innovative approach to transition persons engaged in the unlawful act into the formal, legal mining framework.
“The CEO did not give approval to galamsey. We all know it remains unlawful. What he was trying to articulate was a practical strategy to shift those involved in the illegal activity into a properly controlled and environmentally sustainable system,” Mr. Minkah explained.
He emphasised that the formalization drive is not an open pardon for offenders, but a conditional and regulated pathway that only qualified miners can access.
He noted that anyone seeking to benefit from the process must meet all statutory requirements, including obtaining the requisite licenses, adhering to environmental protection measures, undergoing mandatory training, and submitting to continuous monitoring by regulators.
“Bringing them into the formal sector is not a wholesale pardon for illegal operations. It is an organised procedure to absorb qualified individuals into the legal regime, under strict licensing, environmental compliance, capacity building and regulatory supervision.
That was the essence of the CEO’s message,” he added.
