Business News of Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Source: starrfm.com.gh

I will thoroughly review mining license regime – Lands minister-designate

Minister-designate of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah play videoMinister-designate of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah

The Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has pledged to conduct a thorough review of Ghana’s mining license regime, which has faced criticism for its ineffectiveness and inconsistencies.

The current licensing process is fragmented, creating opportunities for exploitation and non-compliance.

Appearing before the vetting committee on January 27, Buah emphasized the need for a comprehensive review, highlighting issues like duplication in license issuance.

He noted that some individuals hold multiple licenses, potentially accumulating large-scale mining operations without proper classification.

As the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, he advocated for community mining schemes prioritising environmental protection and local employment.

Armah-Kofi Buah emphasized the need for reform to streamline the system and ensure better oversight and regulation in the sector.

He said, “When I get the opportunity to be approved, I intend to conduct a holistic review of the licensing regime and I have already talked about how there is so much duplication in the issue of licenses.

“And I have talked about one individual who will be holding almost 50 licenses because he has not been classified as a large-scale and he has gone to do mining in contagious areas and if you put it all together, he is probably close to large-scale mining and so we need to look at this re-categorisation.”



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