President of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, has weighed in on the formalisation of illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, following an explanation of the process by GoldBod Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi.

In a Facebook post shared on October 26, 2026, Cudjoe addressed the approach to formalising unlicensed mining operations and determining which operators qualify to enter the legal framework.

Cudjoe urged the public not to overcomplicate Gyamfi’s explanation of the government’s approach to formalising artisanal and small-scale mining.

“Stop overthinking. Sammy Gyamfi spoke simple language... This is not a PhD thesis!” he stated.

Cudjoe explained that formalisation involves transitioning unlicensed miners into a regulated framework where they must comply with mining laws, pay taxes and meet environmental requirements.

Sammy Gyamfi needs to answer some questions to us and JDM - Franklin Cudjoe

However, he said Gyamfi had identified three categories of unlicensed mining operations as “irredeemably wrong” and excluded them from the formalisation process.

These are mining that impacts or takes place near water bodies, mining within forest reserves, and mining in unsafe community areas, including roadsides, school lands and residential yards.

According to Cudjoe, mining operations found in these prohibited areas are to be shut down, while those operating outside them can proceed to the next stage of the formalisation process, subject to the applicable requirements.

He stressed that formalising artisanal and small-scale mining should not be interpreted as an attempt to legalise all existing illegal mining activities, particularly those that threaten water bodies, forest reserves and public safety.

See the post below



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