Sammy Gyamfi
Four civil society organisations have called on Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi and other public officials to refrain from making statements that encourage, excuse or appear to tolerate unlicensed or irresponsible mining.
In a joint statement issued on Friday ( October 23) , A Rocha Ghana, EcoConscious Citizens, Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape and COMPAD said public communications suggesting tolerance for unlicensed mining could undermine efforts to enforce mining regulations and promote responsible practices in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
The organisations’ call followed the circulation of remarks allegedly made by Mr Gyamfi at the recently concluded Mining in Motion Conference. The remarks, delivered in Twi, were interpreted by the groups as suggesting that miners could operate without licences if they avoided water bodies, forest reserves, roadsides and residential premises.
The groups said such messaging risked weakening compliance with Ghana’s mining laws and undermining efforts to formalise the sector, protect the environment and establish a credible gold traceability system.
They called on Mr Gyamfi to publicly retract the reported statement and clearly affirm that mining without a valid licence remains illegal.
The organisations also urged the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission to clarify the government’s policy on illegal and irresponsible mining, including the purpose and safeguards of any directive to District Chief Executives to compile locations where mining is taking place.
They further called on GoldBod to reaffirm the conditions of its licences prohibiting the purchase of gold from unlicensed miners and accelerate the development of a transparent, independently verifiable traceability system.
The statement was signed by the four organisations, which said they remained willing to work with GoldBod, government agencies and other stakeholders to promote responsible and traceable gold production.
The statement did not include a response from Mr Gyamfi or GoldBod.
