The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has announced that 907 licenses issued to small-scale mining firms are currently under review as part of government efforts to enforce regulatory compliance and clamp down on illegal mining activities.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Kofi Buah explained that the licenses are being scrutinised due to procedural irregularities identified in their registration.

“907 out of 1,278 small-scale licenses are now under review for possible revocation due to irregularities identified by the Small-Scale Mining Review Committee,” he announced.

He added that 55 licenses had already been revoked at the beginning of the year, noting that a similar review exercise is underway in the large-scale mining segment, as the Ministry seeks to ensure sector-wide regulatory compliance.

“It must be noted that 55 small-scale mining licenses, issued during the transitional period, were revoked at the beginning of the year. A similar exercise is currently ongoing to review large-scale mining licenses to ensure compliance,” he said.

The minister indicated that the ongoing audit forms part of a broader effort by the government to sanitise the mining sector and promote responsible and sustainable mining practices.

“These measures are all aimed at sanitising the mining sector to ensure transparency and sustainable operations,” he emphasised.

SP/MA

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